


Jungle Fever

by Dawnrider



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Inspired by Tarzan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:21:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21579820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawnrider/pseuds/Dawnrider
Summary: Kagome and Gramps finally get the chance to venture into the deepest parts of the forest in search of the famed Wild Dogs they have been researching and wanting to study for years.  Little did they know that they would be the ones being studied...A Tarzan!Inu AU, posted for Inuvember Day 27 - DisneyAU Day
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango (InuYasha)
Comments: 66
Kudos: 176





	1. Preface

The smells alone were nearly overwhelming, let alone the sights. The colors were more vibrant than anything she had ever seen and she was quite sure she could stay in that one spot, not moving for hours. The flowers were amazing shades of red, orange, yellow, blue and violet. The birds fluttering overhead were much of the same but with a shimmer to their wings that made the sun glint off of them like precious gems. The trees were lush and green, providing a brilliant canopy above her head, though it did little to thwart the humid heat making her dress stick to her skin wherever it touched her.

“Oh my…” she whispered a bit breathlessly.

“What is it Miss Kagome?” sighed a slightly exasperated young man. She wasn’t really paying any attention to him anyway, much to his disappointment, so he chose to continue ahead and clear away the underbrush. His charge was not as acclimated to the deep forest as she liked to believe and he had to make sure there wasn’t anything that could send the overly dressed young lady sprawling in an undignified heap. When he didn’t hear anything from his companion after a moment he turned to see her kneeling beside a particularly lovely blossom, sketching to her heart’s content. Naraku was completely happy to sit and watch her smile softly like that until he died, but they did have somewhat of a schedule to keep. “Miss Kagome, we really should press on,” he muttered just loud enough for her to hear.

“What? Oh dear, I’m sorry. I just get…”

“Caught up in the beauty,” he finished with a small secretive smile. “I know.” Kagome returned the smile warily, sensing that her guide had some hidden meaning in his words and in that smile that she wasn’t sure how to deal with.

“Well I’m sorry to keep you waiting all the same,” she finished, dismissing the uncomfortable thoughts from her mind. She tucked her sketchbook back under her arm and placed her pencil through the bun resting at the nape of her neck.

“It isn’t me you’re keeping, it’s yourself. You are here to see the wild dogs, not I.” Kagome got a slightly far off look in her eyes and Naraku chalked up another lost opportunity at conversation with the object of his attention. Whenever the legendary beasts were mentioned the young scientist went off into her own world from where almost nothing aside from snapping in front of her face could bring her back. Naraku did just that and was relieved to see conscious thought return to her eyes.

“Right then! Shall we be off, my dear Naraku?” The girl was oblivious to the look her companion gave her before he sighed tiredly and trudged ahead to cut away the vines that crossed their path. He grumbled to himself for a while before the heat became too unbearable for even that. He heard the girl’s grandfather stumble into the clearing they had made and he again rolled his eyes. The old fool was three times as in love with the wild dogs as his granddaughter and at least three times as prone to daydreaming. He often got lost or left behind on their trekking but Naraku found it hard to be disappointed when the old man wasn’t in the area.

“It seems I lost my way a bit back there,” the elderly but spry man chuckled then marched over to see that his granddaughter was still intact. “Kagome my girl…” he began, rambling on about some great find of his younger years when he was a famous traveling scientist. She and Naraku had both obviously heard the story before, multiple times for Kagome, but only Kagome continued to politely listen where Naraku returned to his grousing and cutting the path.

The flighty though kind looking girl, grumbling young guide and delusional old man were completely unaware of the golden eyes that watched them from the treetops. These animals were a surprising view to these eyes. It had been a long time since they had seen anything like these creatures and the curiosity to see more of them was nearly overwhelming. But now was not the right moment. Golden eyes stared for a few moments more before fading into the patches of sunlight that leaked through the canopy.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Buckle up, fam. Here we go!

This was all he had ever known. The jungle was his home and the pack was his family. He knew no other way his life should be. Yet he felt something was missing. He often wished his father or mother were still around to help him figure out what it was, but they were long since gone and his brother was not all that helpful. He wouldn’t have asked his stiff older sibling anyway, given the choice. He was not well liked, especially by his brother, but he maintained a kind of grudging respect within the pack because of his brother’s position so he couldn’t complain about him too much.

There were no others like him in the forest nowadays. There had been from time to time when he was very small but they were quickly cast from their packs, usually as soon as they were born, and their mothers or fathers never allowed to return. He had been, and still was, immensely lucky that no one had discarded him, especially after both his parents had died. He knew that his brother protected him from such a fate, but he was unsure of how to show his gratitude. He wasn’t very good at that sort of thing and knew his brother would hardly acknowledge it if he bothered. So he lent his strength to protect and provide for the pack and no one had tried to kick him out yet.

He wanted to know why no others like his mother had ventured into the jungle after her death but had eventually given up on finding the answer. He would never know and he had resigned himself to that fact - assuming, like the rest of the pack - that there were no others anywhere. But all that was changing now. There were beings in the forest and he was watching them very carefully. They seemed to be just like his mother, especially the female, but entirely different from her in so many ways. They covered themselves from nearly head to foot in the strangest looking things. They didn’t look like plants or even animal skins to him but they very well could be.

He followed them in the branches as they trudged along the forest floor. The younger male made him uncomfortable, even at a distance. He could smell that something just wasn’t quite right with the dark-haired one. The older male was ancient and tended to get separated from the small pack more than any overly curious pup he had ever encountered. In between the two was the young female. She seemed to be absolutely in awe of everything in the surrounding forest. Her voice floated over his ears like a breath of fresh air even if he couldn’t understand any of it. She was… beautiful. He didn’t think he could ever think such a thing of something that was so obviously unlike him but as he watched her, he noticed that they weren’t as different as he had first thought. Something about her called to his senses but if asked to explain it, he didn’t think he would be able to.

They were awfully loud as they made their way. The noise they made forced the birds in the trees to take flight as they passed, whereas they only ruffled their feathers when he stalked by. His guess was as good as anyone’s as to why the creatures were here when they had been absent from the area for over fifteen cycles of the seasons.

* * *

“Well if it isn’t Inuyasha. How are you oh furless one?”

“You know what Sango? I don’t want to hear it right now,” growled the young male at his antagonist. She smirked, all her teeth showing as she did so.

“Aw, did the poor puppy have a bad day?”

“I am not a puppy! Just leave me alone already, I’m not in the mood to deal with you today,” he snapped at her. Sango snorted at her grumpy friend before following after him, close on his heels. “What did I say, woman? Leave it be!” he snarled.

“You know you really are foul tempered, even for someone with as little fur as you,” she mused. To anyone who didn’t know the pair it would seem as though she were tempting fate, but it was well known within the pack that Inuyasha would sooner jump off a cliff than do his best friend bodily harm. In fact, he’d done so several times, though usually not of his own volition.

“Yea well... You’re a manly bitch, what about it?” Sango again snorted at her friend but with an underlying growl. It was one of her biggest buttons and his was his annoyingly furless hide. They knew exactly what to bring up in order to embarrass, frighten or anger the other but also how to make each other laugh.

“Miroku’s stuck in a tree again.” Inuyasha had to stifle the chuckle that wanted to give way. He was trying to stay in a bad mood and hearing this was counterproductive to that. The completion of their trio, though not always entirely welcome, was Miroku.

“I wonder how he got up there,” he pondered aloud, knowing full well how the unfortunate Miroku had gotten up that tree. The other members of the pack were not prone to tree climbing like Inuyasha, not having the balance nor love of heights for it. Miroku was no exception and had most likely been chased or tossed up there by a certain female who happened to be trotting along at his side. Not able to contain his curiosity any longer Inuyasha turned to Sango and perked his ears in her direction. “What’d he do this time?” he inquired in a sly tone.

“Hmph. Which reason do you want? There were multiple this time.”

“Them all of course!” Inuyasha chuckled. Sango began to go off into a list of misdemeanors the regrettably clueless Miroku had made the mistake of performing in front of her and therefore landing himself in the tree.

“He was sniffing around all the other girls, even the older ones! I had to scare him off my mother at least twice. Then he had the nerve to approach me! As if I were interested in his shaggy ass…” Sango continued to grumble on like that for some time as the friends walked back to the den. Inuyasha became lost in his thoughts and didn’t even realize when they had reached the den until he was promptly knocked to the ground by several little ones. Sango chuckled to herself and left her best friend to his fate.

“Inuyasha!” they cried almost all at once, knocking him on his side and leaping on top of him. “Where’d you go for all that time?” “Were you in the trees again? I think I can smell it.” “That’s so cool!” The poor young male had trouble keeping up with all the pups’ questions or exuberant statements and did about the only thing he knew to get them to settle down. He grabbed one by the scruff of his neck, held one down by her leg and glared the last one into silence.

“Oi! What’s the big idea, jumping on me like that? What’d I tell you guys about doing that?” he growled but anyone who was looking hard enough could see the sparkle of amusement in his eyes. If Sango couldn’t bring him out of his foul mood then it was up to Shippo, Satsuki and Kohaku. The three youngsters were rambunctious, as most young ones are, and they absolutely adored Inuyasha. 

“What did you find?” questioned the ever-exuberant Shippo. 

“None of your business runt…” But he went off on a tale of the bear he’d seen earlier and the puma he’d had to outrun later in the afternoon after interrupting its nap. He pretended to hate it but everyone else knew the gruffness was an act. He played with them and told them stories until all three collapsed from exhaustion and settled down for the night, their mothers all looking at him gratefully.

“Little brother,” came a smooth rumble in greeting.

“Hmm what?” Inuyasha turned and was met with his older half-brother’s face almost directly in his. “Sesshomaru. What do you want?”

“This Sesshomaru would like to know why you were gone since sun up and where exactly it is that you went. You are supposed to inform me before you leave the den just like everyone else.”

“Yea yea yea. I went out on patrol. I didn’t get in any fights and I didn’t start any trouble. Satisfied?” he grumbled.

“Never, but I assume you won’t tell me more so I’ll handle you later. Right now this Sesshomaru has more than enough with the Season coming up.” Inuyasha shivered slightly.

There was only one specific season that was important enough to warrant Sesshomaru’s concern and his own. As leader, Sesshomaru was responsible for everyone in the pack and therefore everything that happened within it. The mating season was one of the most important times for the pack, the shifting of power that occurred often unsettling the balance for a bit. Sesshomaru had yet to take a mate, and it seemed he never would, so at least the leader was relatively stable. Only a few in the pack were of age this year and many of them planned to bring in others from another pack entirely. It had to be done to keep the same bloodlines from crossing too much, but as it meant a change in their numbers, there was always a risk of becoming weaker than the other packs outside their territory.

“I’m not choosing,” growled Inuyasha suddenly just before his brother turned to leave. The elder of the two gave his brother a mild glare.

“Just the other day you said you were going to…”

“I know. I’ve changed my mind. I’ll wait another year.”

“I see.” Sesshomaru glanced at his sibling one last time before turning around. “You can’t put it off forever, Inuyasha. You will have to choose soon.”

“Feh.”

“Just remember that, in time, you won’t be able to hide from your responsibilities. You will have to grow up like everyone else.” Inuyasha watched his older brother walk off smoothly into the gloom of the den, the thoughts in his head throwing him into mild turmoil. His brother's threat was hardly fair. He hadn't chosen a mate yet and he'd been of age for well over ten seasons!

“I can’t choose. Not yet,” Inuyasha whispered to himself. There were things that had changed recently that wouldn’t allow him to make such a mammoth decision. He had to weigh his options first. He took a soft sniff of the air and wasn’t surprised to find someone right behind him. “Kikyo.”

“Inuyasha,” she purred. “You’re looking well.”

“Thanks. Something I can do for you?” he asked a bit hesitantly. In truth the slightly older female intimidated him just a little. Not many could lay claim to such a feat. Inuyasha was not a pushover, nor was he shy about spouting what he thought about something. Kikyo was another matter. Somehow he got a bit tongue tied around her and couldn’t find it in him to speak completely honestly with her.

“I’m sure if you put your mind to it. However I came to talk to you about…”

“I know. I thought I’d made up my mind, but now I’m not sure anymore.” She seemed frustrated by this response and snorted slightly.

“You’re going to wait another year, is that it?” She continued at his curt nod. “I thought we’d talked about this. It was all decided, no question.”

“There are a lot of things that have changed. I can’t choose right now.” He turned his back on her quickly and leapt into a nearby tree to brood in peace. She stared after him for a while but soon moved off without a word. There was no point trying to pressure him, it would only force him to rail against her wishes.

Inuyasha sat languidly on the branch with his eyes closed to the world. He allowed his senses to take him out of himself and into the forest surrounding him. He could smell the night settling in, the birds beginning to nest up for the night, the diurnal ones at least. The insects were preparing to swarm the skies and do whatever it was they did. Mostly fly around his ears and drive him nuts. As if the thought alone had summoned it, a mosquito buzzed within hearing range and was soon flitting about the furry triangle nestled in his hair.

“Fucking bug,” he snarled, swatting the thing away. For some reason that insignificant insect was the last straw and Inuyasha bolted up with a deep growl, leaping from the branch to the leaf covered ground. He decided another round of the forest would do him good and took off in the same direction he always did. The river.

* * *

“Gramps, I really think we should head in this direction. This seems the most likely place to find a den.” The old man nodded faintly, studying the spot on the map his granddaughter was pointing out to him. The dim light from the lantern wasn’t making it easy on his old eyes and to be honest he couldn’t really see where she was pointing anyway. No matter, he’d just feign senility and ask again in the morning.

“Yes, I see. I agree, Kagome.” The girl sighed, knowing her grandfather couldn’t tell what he was looking at as he was pointing at the lake. Not that it really mattered, he’d go wherever she thought best anyway. It was just a matter of convincing their somewhat surly guide. Naraku was nice for the most part, but he had bouts of temper that seemed to come when she least expected. Other times he was so nice it made her squirm. Kagome wasn’t a stupid girl, quite brilliant really, but she was somewhat naive when it came to the ways of men. She mostly thought he was just awkward and didn't want to ruin his rapport with his clients.

“Right. Well I think I’m going to go for a swim and clean up a bit. I feel absolutely filthy.” After receiving no response from her now snoozing grandfather Kagome sighed and covered him in a blanket with a small smile. “Night Gramps,” she whispered before slipping out of the tent. Taking a deep breath of the much cooler evening air, the young woman took the path Naraku had cleared for them earlier to the river and padded quietly to the edge.

The night was beautiful. The stars seemed to hang precariously in the sky without a cloud to mar the surface. She let her fingers drift in the water for a bit, testing the temperature, before finally sliding out of her slip and into the cool water. She sighed with contentment as the water smoothed away the humid sweat that had covered her from head to toe and the frizz from her hair. She allowed her mind to calm as well, focusing on the gentle pull of the river.

Kagome spun around when she heard a branch snap on the ground. The thought of it being a wild animal terrified her but even more she was worried it was a peeping tom. Rather absurd considering she was in the middle of the wilderness but it very well could have been Naraku. She wasn’t disappointed, finding a young man, not much older than herself, with long silvery white hair and glowing golden eyes crouched just outside the trees. She stood transfixed by his stare, unable to move for a rock or any kind of protection. So mesmerized was she by the look on his face, somewhere between arrogance and fascination, that she didn’t even realize she was still nude.

The young man sniffed slightly in her direction, though he seemed a good deal less surprised to see her there than she was to see him. He’d probably stepped on the twig on purpose to let her know he was there. He exuded stealth and silence from every part of his being. She then noticed the white fur covered ears twitching slightly in his hair. He… he was a hanyou! Half human and half dog, reputedly those wilds dogs still of youkai stock. She’d read about them in her studies about the legendary wild dogs but no one had ever seen one alive or even a corpse of one this old. They were often still infants, far too young to fend for themselves and apparently cast from the pack to die.

“Hello,” she said softly, bravery stemming from her utter enthrallment with him. He seemed to raise an eyebrow at her, confused by her language and probably by the fact that she’d spoken to him at all. She noticed for the first time that he was as naked as the day he was born, and the way he seemed so completely comfortable with it made Kagome fairly sure that he'd never worn a stitch of clothing in his life. She kept her eyes on his face, but couldn’t help the way her gaze flit downward once or twice.  _ Maybe three times. _ Either way, he was gorgeous.

He’d smelled her here before he’d arrived, but his curiosity wouldn’t allow him not to approach.  **_Why was she here in the river?_ ** Studying her, he noticed how like his mother she was, and yet not like her at all. He had thought his mother to be the only one left of her kind when he was small, no matter how little sense that made. No one had told him any differently so the arrival of the three humans had been a total surprise to him. He somehow knew the word she’d said to him. It… it was a greeting!

Kagome was a bit startled by the growl and yip that she got in response, but she was pretty sure that he understood what she’d said and was greeting her in return. She would have loved to be able to understand him enough to continue a conversation in his language, but there was no way she could even imitate the sounds without the proper vocal tract. She took a step forward and then another without the man moving an inch. He sniffed warily but seemed to deem her no threat and allowed her to come out of the water before releasing a low growl, his upper lip pulled back in a slight snarl. As obvious a sign to stay where she was as she’d ever heard.

“Alright. I understand. No closer,” she soothed, putting her hands up. He was pacified by the gesture until she reached down to grab her slip, growling lowly at her. “Um… Alright. I guess I’ll stay naked too then.”

Inuyasha couldn’t understand it. Her entire demeanor screamed discomfort, her scent most telling, before she reached for something on the ground. When he growled at her to stay still, she seemed to become even more uncomfortable, though she obeyed. Was she frightened of him? Obviously she had no reason to be as of yet, he hadn’t made any threatening moves, only studying her from a distance. But if she didn’t know what to expect from him, as he assumed she didn’t, then maybe she was afraid he would harm her.

Inuyasha decided that a little experiment was in order and padded a few steps closer to the girl, who seemed too frightened to move even though she didn’t  _ smell _ scared. He circled her once then sat on his haunches in front of her. She watched him warily and he could smell the nervousness finally filter into her scent. So it was something about him that made her nervous, but she wasn’t really afraid of him. His next experiment involved something he hadn’t done for any longer than a few moments since he was young. He slowly uncurled himself from the ground and balanced on two feet. It felt a little stiff, having not done so in a long time, but for some reason the position almost felt… natural.

“Oh… well…” Kagome flushed and looked away quickly only to have the young man growl at her not to turn her eyes from him. She didn’t know how she knew, but somehow the message was quite clear. She looked back and found two shockingly amber eyes set under dark eyebrows in a boyishly handsome face staring at her. She froze and waited to see what he would do. Somehow it never crossed her mind that she should have tried to run or maybe scream for help. She just… felt… that he wouldn’t harm her.

To be honest, he was confused by the girl’s reaction to him standing. She didn’t smell afraid anymore but very nervous and maybe a little… no. She couldn’t be excited, could she? Inuyasha’s face split into an arrogant smirk. So she liked what she saw. He could say the same of her. But she was different somehow, like she didn’t feel comfortable in her own skin and the fact that he could see all of it. She tried to keep her eyes locked with his and he admired that bravery despite her discomfort. Then she looked down at the thing she had been trying to grab before. He eventually understood, remembering how covered she’d been when he’d followed her earlier, that she wanted to put the thing back on. He took a step back to give her space, but watched her carefully to make sure she didn’t try to pull anything over on him.

“Alright, easy boy. I’m just going to put this on and then at least one of us will be decent,” Kagome murmured. The very naked man in front of her seemed satisfied to leave her alone for the moment, allowing her to dress. She had to admit it was rather unnerving to have him stare at her so unfazed by her or his naked state. “You are quite handsome though,” she commented, blushing, when she was relatively dressed. She felt somewhat stupid, and kind of condescending, for saying such things to a man who couldn’t understand her. Or at least couldn’t understand her words. He seemed to know what she’d meant regardless of the language barrier and was currently preening under the praise. He was practically strutting while standing still if that were possible.

She liked the way he looked. He recalled his mother saying something along the lines of “Aren’t you a handsome boy then?” when he was very small and the word had stuck out among the other babble he didn’t understand. Just maybe he could figure this girl out after all. He thought back very hard to when his mother was alive and tried to remember how she had produced the sounds that were his name.

“I…Inu…ya…sha. Inuyasha.” Using his mouth, tongue and throat this way was strange to him, but like standing, the strangeness came from neglect and not inability.

“I’m sorry, what?” Inuyasha frowned but knew by the look on her face that she didn’t catch what he was doing. He raised one hand to his chest and tried again.

“Inuyasha.” He then waited for her to identify herself as well. She took a moment to catch on. She smiled warmly then placed a hand on her own chest.

“Kagome,” the girl responded quietly. Inuyasha remembered his mother making a face like that when she smelled happy, so he assumed that this girl was doing the same, not baring her teeth at him. She reached out slowly and touched his chest. “Inuyasha.” He grinned at her, glad she fully understood. The feeling of her touching him reminded him of something he’d noticed before. He swiftly took hold of her wrist, eliciting a surprised squeak from her, and held her hand in front of his face.  **_They… they’re just like mine._ ** Hers were smaller and thinner, obviously more delicate, but more or less just like his.

“Kagome,” he repeated and matched his hand with hers. He marveled for a bit the way they fit against each other. Then something lifted his nose to the air. There was someone coming. Another like her. The younger male that was traveling with her. The one who wasn’t part of her family. He could hear him now as well and decided now was not the time to be caught with the girl. He would deal with this later, when he had the time and she wasn’t so uncomfortable. Inuyasha looked back into the girl’s dark brown eyes and smirked. She looked completely confused and he realized she didn’t have the senses he did, unaware of the other male’s approach. He quickly dipped down and licked her cheek in farewell then leapt into the nearest tree and out of sight. He didn’t know why he’d done it, but it was too late now and he didn’t regret it anyway. He would leave for the den soon, but he wanted to see what the girl would do with the other male there.

“Kagome? Are you out here?” Kagome stood in a daze, staring after the silver-haired man who had left her only a moment ago. He’d licked her. It should have been disturbing but she found it… endearing. “Kagome? Are you alright?” She turned to see the concerned face of Naraku, making her jump slightly to find him so close. He touched her arm and she suddenly felt dirty.

“Fine, yes, fine,” she waved dismissively, taking a step back from him and rubbing her arm discreetly. She could have sworn she’d heard a growl from the tree but Inuyasha had to be gone by now. She didn’t think he would stick around and risk being seen by anyone else. “What is it Naraku?”

“Your grandfather couldn’t remember how long ago you’d left and he was worried. I came to look for you to make sure you were alright.” His eyes took a grand sweep of her form, especially the way her slip stuck to her damp skin and took a deep breath. No sooner had he thought about taking a step forward did he find that the object of his lust had walked away from him. He frowned but said nothing as he followed her away from the river. He caught her glancing into the trees several times and wondered what she could be looking for.

“We should get back to camp,” was all she said. Her mind was still completely on her recent visitor and couldn’t find it in herself to pay attention to her guide. She wanted desperately to get back to her sketchbook so she could get his face down on paper. She would hate to forget that beautiful face of his should she never see him again.


	3. Chapter 2

His tongue felt odd in his mouth. Not in a bad way, but as if it didn’t quite belong there. He’d licked her goodbye. Something he didn’t even do with pack members except Sango when he was in a really good mood. So… almost never. He was still slightly shocked at his own behavior, though he was pretty sure she didn’t understand the significance of such a gesture. She hadn’t wiped her face off though, as he’d seen her do when that other male touched her. The thought of it alone brought a growl to his chest and the fact shocked him. He was acting territorial over a female, a non-pack female no less, that he had just encountered face to face for the first time. He shook his mind clear and took off through the trees to follow them until he knew she was safely in her den and the male back in his. The man, Naraku, had looked at her with lust in his eyes, he’d seen and smelled it, and he didn't like it. It made him feel angry. Best to keep out of sight, but keep an eye on Kagome, instead of confronting the male who didn’t know he existed.

When he started feeling a bit sleepy he dropped down to the forest floor and padded his way over to the strange den she slept in. Thinking she was asleep, he peeked in through a hole and found she was awake, holding that thing she’d stuck in her hair earlier over a wide piece of something white. He watched in utter fascination as she used the thing in her hand to create marks on the sheet until it looked amazingly like his face. She was thinking of him! That was enough to make his chest feel full, and he took off into the trees to head back to the den with an extra bounce in his step. Sesshomaru would most likely get on his case for having been gone all day, as well as a good portion of the night, but he doubted he would actually do something about it.

As he raced through the trees, Inuyasha contemplated the upcoming mating season. He’d told Kikyo when she asked in the past that he would mate with her when he was ready. Really the problem was that he wasn’t sure he wanted to become a full dog for the rest of his long life. Transforming into his full dog form was almost impossible and didn’t last more than a few heartbeats unless he decided to become so forever, as Kikyo wanted him to do. The idea had its ups and downs. For one, he would be more readily accepted into the pack. He wouldn’t be considered a freak anymore. That thought alone was almost enough to make him choose to become so right away. But he didn’t really want to change. He liked being the way he was, even if no one else did.

Sango had told him when he mentioned Kikyo’s proposition that he should remember that Kikyo wouldn't care for him much when he had his weak night. That was the other thing. He became weak one night of the moon cycle. His hair changed color, his ears moved and changed and his senses all dulled. He always hid away on such a night so as not to be ridiculed or attacked by the others. Sango and Miroku were the only ones who were allowed near him and that was only so they could protect him from anything that might come after him.

“Inuyasha?”

“Hey Sango.” His friend approached him from the shadows and sat on her haunches in front of him, snuffling his hand in greeting. He heard Miroku pad up as well but he kept his distance for the moment.

“Why are you standing like that? You haven’t done that since you were a pup.” He sighed and fell back into his normal crouch. He motioned to Miroku that he could come closer, actually hoping the other male could keep his friend somewhat distracted so she wouldn’t question him so much. “You have a female’s scent on you, but she isn’t pack. Where have you been?”

“Calm down Sango. She’s… she’s human.” He paused as Sango and Miroku both snorted lightly in surprise. “I was following her and her pack earlier, that’s why I was gone all day. Then I went to go for a swim and found her there alone. She talked to me Sango! Like my mother did.” He hung his head in confusion, raising one hand to look at it, remembering the way her skin felt against his fingertips.

“But I thought there weren’t any others like your mother left,” Miroku said quietly. Sango turned to glare at him but said nothing as she’d been thinking the same thing. Inuyasha sighed and they both turned back to watch him.

“I thought that too. But now that I think about it, that can’t be right. There have to be more like her out there or where would she have come from?” He scratched an ear slightly while he collected his thoughts. “Her name is Kagome.”

“She understands our language?” Sango asked incredulously. She was a few cycles of the seasons older than Inuyasha and she remembered his mother’s difficulties understanding and communicating with her and the others. She had used a completely different language that none of the others could understand except Inuyasha’s father, Sesshomaru a little, and Inuyasha himself when he was young. 

Inuyasha’s father was an interesting one. He could become like Inuyasha, with the form of a human, but hadn’t ever chosen to do so until the human woman had appeared. That had been how he’d attracted Inuyasha’s mother in the first place. There were few left in the forest that could perform the magic that had been passed down in the blood from the once abundant inuyoukai, demons among men and the wild dogs alike. But there were no longer humans in the area with whom they could create hanyou like Inuyasha so the trait became more or less useless. It didn’t help that none of the other packs ever kept hanyou anyway. They had all started to believe that humans no longer existed. Some had mourned the loss while others had been glad.

“No, but I understood some of what she said. I remembered how to do it and told her my name so she told me hers too.”

“Kagome,” Miroku mused. “A lovely name. I assume she is as lovely.”

“Lay off letch!” Sango fumed, growling angrily at him.

“She’s beautiful,” whispered Inuyasha as his mind drifted off into visions of Kagome. “She isn’t mated yet either.” Both dogs froze as they realized what this meant their hanyou friend was contemplating.

“What about Kikyo?” Sango asked quietly. Inuyasha sighed heavily and looked away. Kikyo of course would be an issue he would have to deal with eventually no matter what he decided, but right now he wasn’t sure what to do.

“I don’t know yet. I need more time to know this girl. I think I might be able to learn more about my mother that way and maybe…”

“Maybe she’ll accept you as you are,” Miroku finished quietly for him. Inuyasha snorted lightly but both his companions knew that was exactly what he was thinking. Inuyasha had always hoped to be accepted as a hanyou by the pack but it had yet to happen as a whole. There were a few that did, Miroku, Sango and the three pups included and strangely his brother - whose dislike stemmed from other things. But there were quite a few of the pack females who wanted him gone. This girl had allowed him to touch her without much fuss on a first meeting. Maybe, just maybe she would come to accept him for himself.

“Inuyasha, I think it’s worth a try.” His head shot up to look Sango directly in the eyes and he was happy to see she wasn’t kidding around. “I’m completely willing to back you up on this one. That’s what friends do.”

“I will also help cover your tail in this venture. I think it would be worthwhile to find out what you can about the girl and your mother,” intoned Miroku. Inuyasha nodded gratefully and couldn’t help the smile that lit his face. Both his four-legged companions looked at him as thought he’d gone rabid until he realized that it wasn’t a facial expression they were used to. He explained that his mother did it and so did Kagome.

“When you’re happy? I guess if you don’t have a tail to wag… that works. Looks kind of scary to me though,” Sango replied. Miroku barked his agreement before tilting his head in the direction of the den. It was time to go inside and go to sleep. He waited for Sango to get up then followed closely behind her, apparently a little too close if the swat to his nose was any indication. Miroku pouted for a bit but didn’t let her violent reaction deter him from his goal. He planned to win her over before mating season came to a close this year. She would be his.

* * *

“There. Perfect,” Kagome smiled as she finished the pair of red pants she’d been fixing. She folded and refolded them several times as she waited nervously for her hanyou friend to come for a visit. He came everyday, but sometimes she worried that he just wouldn’t come by anymore, tired of her chatter and the lessons that he tended to consider a game. This time, if he did come to see her, she hoped to get him to wear something so she could focus better on trying to learn about his language, past and people and less about his anatomy. Not that she wasn't interested in that too... just a little too interested. The previously self-assumed polite young lady flushed at her own thoughts. Her dreams had been filled with him last night in all sorts of not so polite positions and she’d woken up even hotter than normal in the summer weather.  _ Time to stop reading those terrible dime novels. _

Upon exiting her tent she was more than a little surprised to find an upside down face level with hers, long silver hair hanging below it and twin furry ears twitching excitedly. She would have screamed but for the large hand that went over her mouth in time to muffle it. She calmed considerably when she realized who it was.

“Kagome,” the boy greeted with a grin. He was hanging by his knees from a low branch of the tree that helped shelter her tent from the elements. She smiled at him and beckoned him to come down. He gracefully flipped and landed on all fours, reminding her more of a cat than a dog at the moment. She quickly remembered her gift for him, motioned for him to stay put and darted back into her tent to bring them out. He waited for her, curiosity keeping him from growling at her to stay put, then staring at her with confusion when she showed him her gift, pride glowing in her eyes.

“Here Inuyasha. These are for you.” She watched him sniff at them for a moment before she decided she would have to rethink her approach. She made sure he was paying attention then went through the motions of putting the pants on before handing them to Inuyasha. “They won’t hurt you, I promise.” He frowned lightly, but seemed eager enough to make her happy. He growled at the pants for a moment before making his first attempt to put them on. 

It took a few tries before he was able to get the grasp of how the thing went on but once he did, the smile on Kagome’s face was nothing short of radiant. He slowly stood and tried to get a feel of the thing on his legs and being upright at the same time. It wasn’t so bad now that he was standing on two feet, but he still felt slightly confined. In any case, it wasn’t hard to notice how much more at ease Kagome was now that it was on him. He gave a tentative smile and she nodded happily.

“Pants. Or trousers if you like,” she said, indicating said item.

“P-pants,” he repeated after some thought, gaining a large smile from Kagome. He liked it when she smiled like that, it made him want to smile too. So this thing was called “pants.” He’d have to find somewhere to hide it when he went back to the den but when he was here, if Kagome wanted him to have it, he would.

“Good,” she praised with a smile that faded into a frown. She hated sounding like she was so much smarter than he was. She knew that he was already picking up a lot from just standing where he was let alone the time she’d spent just talking to him while he listened intently. Hell, the fact that he was understanding anything she said was enough to show her how intelligent he was. She decided to whip out a book she always carried with her from when she was a child. It was a silly sentimental thing, but it was her favorite book to read with her father when she was young. Inuyasha had waited patiently for her at the base of the tree and she plopped down next to him, showing the item to him along with a few others she’d brought out as well. “This is a book. More than one, books.” She held one book up on “book” and a couple of them on “books.” She’d probably have to teach him the number system as well, now that she thought about it.

“Book,” he repeated obediently. He didn’t miss the slightly sad look on Kagome’s face or the tinge of it in her scent. Perhaps these “books” brought painful memories for her or maybe it was just the one that she held so tenderly. The things were obviously a bit fragile and he took the utmost care when handling them, careful not to rip them with his claws. And so began his first reading lesson. He picked up on the sounds easily, though he didn’t quite understand what they all meant. He understood basic things that Kagome said to him, but if she started talking too fast he was lost. He began to see a pattern in the markings on the sheets and quickly saw that certain markings coincided with specific sounds. It didn’t take him long to start reading the words off the page on his own, although a bit slower than Kagome.

“You’re amazing, Inuyasha,” laughed Kagome breathlessly. He’d learned to read in nearly three hours when it had taken her until she was seven to read properly. He still didn’t seem to understand everything that she was saying to him and certainly not what he was reading, but it was a huge step in the right direction. She took him around the empty camp, finding that Naraku and her grandfather had gone off to leave a message for the ship that they were all still alive. She pointed out everything and told him the words for them. He seemingly loved repeating the words after her, especially when they were words he’d read in the book. He would recite the entire sentence that the word had been in and Kagome was left speechless by his amazing capacity for recall.

Eventually he began to watch the sky warily. She realized he’d been there a long time and probably had other places to be. She smiled softly, making a motion to shoo him off. He smirked at her, taking her hand and matching his fingers to hers once again.  _ He really likes to do that, _ she thought. Probably because she was likely the only other with hands he knew.

“G’bye Kagome,” he said softly, grinning when she blushed at the contact.

“Goodbye Inuyasha. I hope I’ll see you again.” He thought about that for a bit then beamed down at her. He quickly licked her cheek, just as he’d done every time before, then smirked when he smelled her happiness.

“Promise you,” he whispered, then darted off into the trees. 

As luck would have it, her grandfather and their guide returned just in time to find her staring off into the undergrowth, but they saw no sign of the boy she’d spent a good deal of the day, and most of the last week, with while they were off on their errand.

“Kagome dear, I really think you should get more rest. You’ve been rather out of it the last few days.” Kagome nodded absently as her grandfather led her to her tent to have her rest out of the sun. “There now. I’ll get you some water and you should take a nap. Can’t have you getting sick.”

“No, I suppose not,” responded Kagome dreamily. Naraku stood out of the way in silence, watching the girl drift off into her dream world. She wasn’t sick. He could tell. It almost looked like she was lovesick, but who in this godforsaken place could she possibly be in love with since it obviously wasn’t him? Even though the idea was absurd, he felt a jealous rage boil in him. He would make her see that he was the man for her. She would see.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome and Inuyasha learn more about each other.

The sun rose brightly, as it always did, and a faintly humid cloud settled over the forest. Kagome peeled her sheets from her body as she forced herself into wakefulness. She wasn’t tired so much as she just didn’t want to get up. Naraku had commented on how easily distracted she was lately and the intense interest in his eyes perturbed her even now. Something about him continued to make her uncomfortable. As she gathered her things to wash and her set of clothes for the day, she decided against the heavy dress and found her deep green slip instead. It was perhaps a little risque to be wearing so little, but the only person who would likely see her would be Inuyasha and, since he normally wore no clothes at all, he wouldn’t mind. Her grandfather might have something to say about it but she’d just avoid him if possible.

“Eww… Naraku might see me,” she realized in a disgusted whisper. She sighed and, as she left her tent, she made a distinct effort to avoid both members of her party. Once into the forest she breathed a sigh of relief. The chatter of birds and other small animals filled the air and, amongst the chaos, Kagome found a sense of peace. Nothing was asked of her here in the wilderness. No one was watching her to make sure she acted or dressed properly at all times and there wasn’t anyone to impress.  _ Unless you count Inuyasha as someone to impress, _ she thought with a giggle. Arriving at the river to bathe, Kagome made quick work of hopping in and out of the water before drying as fast and thoroughly as she knew how, slipping into her clean clothing.

Rustling leaves caught her attention and she turned from drying her hair to see Inuyasha slinking from the underbrush. “Kagome,” he greeted. Kagome grinned at him, walking a few steps closer before stopping to give him the space he often needed. He was much better than at first meeting, but he still tended to spook somewhat easily. “You are good today?” he questioned. She quirked a smile.

She looked lovely. Her hair was wet from her dip in the river and the piece of clothing she had told him was called a dress was clinging to her from the humidity in the air. Inuyasha took a step closer, silently taking her hand in his. “I am well today Inuyasha, thank you for asking. How are you this morning?” He shrugged in response, another mannerism he had picked up from Kagome. He pulled gently on her delicate hand, beginning to lead her off into the trees. He had something he wanted to show her, something he knew she would enjoy. “Where are you taking me, Inuyasha?” she asked with a laugh after they trudged hand in hand through the underbrush for a while. He gave her an enigmatic smile and shook his head.

Kagome fought down her rising urge to question him as they made their way deeper into the forest. Finally they encountered a gigantic tree, the likes of which Kagome had never seen before. The branches themselves made up the canopy that shaded the otherwise clear space surrounding the giant trunk. She could hear the constant chirping of birds in the leaves and smiled at Inuyasha when he looked to her for approval. “We can have morning food here?” At the hopeful look on his face Kagome couldn’t help but nod and smile. Inuyasha gave her his usual smirk and left her at the base of the tree to scamper up its trunk. She watched in faint fascination as he pulled a package wrapped in leaves out and leaped down next to her, barely stirring the leaf litter upon landing. He again took her hand and pulled her toward the gnarled and wide roots of the tree. Using one as a picnic table of sorts, the two of them spread out what Inuyasha had brought.

He had made a point not to bring any meat. Kagome wouldn’t eat the meat the way he would. She put it over fire until it smelled different and it was actually easier to eat, though he would never admit to that. The hanyou hadn’t figured out how to do it right yet, so he had opted for fruits he knew she liked and some of the “bread” stuff she had shown him before. Granted he had to take it from her camp, but she didn’t comment. “Oh Inuyasha, this is wonderful!” she gasped, eyes wide and smiling. Inuyasha loved the way she smelled when he did nice things for her. It was as if nothing else could make her as happy as he could and something inside him made him continue to find ways to make her smile, to make her laugh. Anything to keep her emitting that wondrous scent. She drew him into conversation and he began feeling more and more at ease. She was easy to talk to, even when he didn’t know the words to say what he meant. She was always patient with him and it made it easier to learn the words he needed.

“Kagome?”

“Hmm?” Her eyes were drifting closed as she lay against the base of the tree. The humidity didn’t seem to bother her as much here and yet she felt slightly drowsy. Perhaps it was because she felt so safe here with Inuyasha watching over her. Whatever the cause, she was slightly surprised when she felt Inuyasha sidle up next to her. She felt the lean warmth of his body against her side and all of the indecent dreams she had been having of him rushed her at once. The phantom touches of his hands on her skin. The dream brushes of his lips on her own. Kagome’s breath quickened in her chest just thinking about it. With her defenses down like they were, she couldn’t fight the blush that stole onto her cheeks or the heat that flooded her system. Her eyes flew open and she glanced nervously at her hanyou companion. “What is it, Inuyasha?” Kagome inquired warily, afraid that he would instantly know that she was thinking inappropriate thoughts about him. He was suddenly much closer than she had anticipated, hovering over her. He really had yet to grasp the concept of personal space when it came to her. She gave Inuyasha his space without question but he had no problem invading hers. While she rarely had a problem with him touching her or the like, in moments like this, she felt so out of control, so unlike herself… And yet she felt more like herself than she knew what to do with.

Something about the color in her cheeks and the sudden catch in her breath made Inuyasha lean closer, sniffing delicately to try and discern what she was feeling. He knew the scent that drifted from her was not normal, yet he knew there wasn’t anything wrong with her. She was… Inuyasha almost backed away in shock. He recognized what that scent was and was somewhat startled by the reaction it created in his own body. He rumbled softly to quiet the panicked look in Kagome’s face, leaning down to gently nuzzle her throat. When she practically froze beneath him, Inuyasha wondered if he’d done something terribly wrong. “You are good?” he asked quietly, confused by the shaky growl in his own voice. He wanted -  _ needed - _ something from Kagome and yet he couldn’t quite decide what it was. A shock ran through his system when he felt the delicate touch of Kagome’s fingers on his ear. No one but his mother had ever been able to pet his ears like this, though Inuyasha now decided that no one else but Kagome would ever be allowed anywhere near them. “Kagome,” he mumbled against her throat, unmoving from his comfortable position against her body.

Her heartbeat continued to race at the sensation of Inuyasha’s breath skittering across her bare neck and shoulder. He was so beautiful and he hardly knew it. Kagome warred with herself as she tried to decide if she should gently move him off or if she should let this continue wherever it was headed.  _ What on earth are you thinking stupid girl? This is Inuyasha, not some hormone driven university boy! As if it would  _ **_go_ ** _ anywhere, _ scolded her conscience. Her mind was listening, but her heart and body had other plans. She continued to scratch his ears and he did nothing to push her away. Slowly his golden eyes rose to hers and Kagome felt herself holding her breath. The fire, the passion in his eyes frightened her. He looked like a feral animal, but the beauty of him froze her. “Inuyasha,” she whispered, unsure of herself and afraid of the spell that seemed to have fallen over them. With a distinct frown, Inuyasha pulled away from her, kneeling with his claws digging into the fabric of the trousers she had made for him. He appeared to be unable to look at her. Kagome wondered if he was as embarrassed as she was.

But Inuyasha knew very little of embarrassment, since no one in his pack aside from his mother would ever have taught him the word for such an emotion, and he knew nothing of the fear that Kagome felt. He only knew that he had wanted to mate with Kagome just then and that confused him.  **_Is that really what I want from Kagome, to make her my mate?_ ** He looked back up at her and saw the wide-eyed look on her face. She hadn’t pushed him away - he had pulled himself away - but she wasn’t ready and, if he was honest with himself, neither was he. If he knew more about how humans mated then maybe he would feel ready to approach Kagome on the subject but now was not the time. Instead of saying anything about what had just transpired between them, Inuyasha took a seat next to Kagome once more and closed his eyes. “You may sleep if you want. I will listen for danger,” he told her matter-of-factly as he closed his eyes to contemplate his desires. The hanyou heard Kagome lean back and smelled that she was once again calm. Soon enough he heard her slip into a light doze, her breathing even and her heartbeat a gentle rhythm beating in his ears. He was content to have her at his side and she seemed equally content to stay there for most of the morning.

* * *

Their session had run long today and Kagome wasn't sure if he was simply stalling, or if he really wanted to know about the trees where she came from. He'd appeared interested, but now she had told him all she knew about trees and he was still hanging around. Not that she didn't like having him around... “Inuyasha? Do your pack-mates know where you go during the day?” He looked over from the riverbank, grinning slightly at her. He shook his head. “Where do they think you are?”

“I am out every day,” he told her. “No one knows where I go, just me.”

“Would you get in trouble if they knew?” He frowned, his head tilting in confusion. “Would someone discipline you for being here with me?” Understanding lit his eyes and he stood, coming closer and crouching in front of her. He shrugged a little, not giving her a direct answer. He seemed to analyze her face, taking in her features and her scent.

“You are... like me Kagome.” Smiling at him a little crookedly, she waited for him to explain himself. “You look like me. Like Mother.” Kagome took a deep breath. She had thought that it was likely his mother who had been human, but she hadn't been sure. Hearing him confirm it was a little bit of a relief, but also made her wonder if he had continued to feel drawn to her because she looked like his mother. “But you are not a mother.”

Kagome couldn't help but chuckle a little. “No. I have no children.”

“Have pups someday,” he told her. “I can ask a question?” he wondered, his request cutting through Kagome's surprise at his previous statement. “Human pups, how are they... They are like pups in my pack?”

“You mean... how do they act? Or how are they born?” He frowned at the first, then nodded emphatically at the second. Unprepared for the question, Kagome sputtered for a moment. Gulping, she tried to think of what to tell him. She was not prepared to give a human biology lesson, and to a young man she was finding increasingly more attractive no less. His familiarity with spoken language, and with the terms she would need, already limited how and what she could explain to him. “I imagine it's very much the same way that pups are born. Why do you ask?”

“Not... born. You know how they are...” His frown returned and he made a few vague gestures that might have implied something else if Kagome hadn’t known the general topic.

Kagome's heart nearly stopped. He wanted her to explain how babies were made? How human babies were made? This was a parent's worst nightmare, let alone a young virgin with the young man she could seriously contemplate making babies with. 

She felt slightly faint and she didn't think it was from the heat. 

The breeze off the river made the bank cooler than anywhere else and Inuyasha had made it clear to all the other animal residents that they had to find somewhere else to drink so they were quite comfortable and quite alone. “Yes. I mean, scientifically speaking, I'm aware of how it works.” Inuyasha's frown made her suck in a deep breath. He wasn't going to take a simple answer.

“Explain,” he demanded in that determined tone she usually loved.

Closing her eyes, the young woman tried to think of the driest and most scientific way to describe intercourse. Instead, her mind was filled with all the dreams she had been having and the dime-novels she had read. “I just mean I've never done it myself, so I don't have first-hand experience.” She missed the look on Inuyasha's face when her scent reflected this. She didn't miss how he moved closer. “Procreation for humans is very similar to any other animal,” she whispered. “The main difference is that humans tend to... practice.”

"Practice. Like lessons?”

“No,” she blurted out. The last thing she needed was for him to ask for lessons in that as well. “Not like lessons.” His frown deepened. “Humans join for pleasure, as well as to procreate. To make pups.”

“For pleasure,” he hummed. “You mean for fun, like a game?” His eyes had grown intense and he seemed closer than before. “But mating is serious, not a game.” 

“Kind of like a game. People do it because they like it.” She could only shrug with a blush. 

“You do not think it is a game.”

“No. It is... very serious,” she whispered. She couldn't deny it any further, he was definitely closer and she wasn't sure what to do about it. The episode under the tree flashed in her memory. Would he... go farther? Would she let him? “Inuyasha.”

Her scent was clouding his thoughts, filling his nose. His fingers traced her shoulder, wondering at her soft skin. Humans were so fragile. “You have pups with only one?” he wondered aloud.

“Some humans do. Some have children with many. Some don't have any.” Kagome swallowed thickly, trying to fight off the urge to lean into him. He smelled good, like the wild forest around them and yet distinctly Inuyasha.

His nose brushed the curl of hair near her ear and she closed her eyes, her heart fluttering wildly in her chest. “You want pups, yes?” She couldn't help nodding. “You will have them with only one...” Unsure if it was a question or a command, Kagome blinked open her eyes, taking in the golden amber gaze of the hanyou in front of her. Glowing. It was the only word she could think of to describe his eyes. His face was serious, the lines of his chin and mouth firm, but his eyes were soft and hopeful. Did he want her to ask him to...

A low howl not that far in the distance made both of their heads jerk up, Inuyasha rising to his feet. His ears twitched animatedly as he apparently deciphered the meaning of the sound. “Inuyasha...” Kagome whispered. He was going to leave, she knew it. Part of her was relieved, because their conversation had taken an unexpected turn. Part of her wished he would stay so she could admit what she had been thinking. His eyes turned to her, an apology in them. “It's alright. Go on.”

“I will come for a lesson next sun rise.” He approached her quickly, his nose brushing against her cheek before his tongue caught her earlobe for a brief moment. She shivered, her hands latching onto his shoulders. His arm came around her waist to steady her, neither one able to deny the physical heat that flared between them. His mouth opened in a pant and he slowly traced the tendon in her neck with his fangs. Kagome whimpered softly in response, hands pulling him closer. “That is a promise,” he murmured before slipping out of her grasp, darting into the trees and leaving her on her own. In her daze, she wasn't exactly sure what he was promising.


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha contemplates Kagome's arrival in the forest while on sentry duty when an unexpected noise startles him out of his tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays to all and Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate!

Inuyasha was in a very good mood. He’d spent almost the entire day with Kagome again and learned to “read” a good deal better than before. He was even starting to understand some of what he was reading. Kagome had been quite impressed with him, and he’d had to tone down his arrogant pride in himself. She was proud of him, but he didn’t think she would put up with him strutting like a male bird during the season. He was learning to trust her almost as much as he did Sango in the course of their daily “lessons.” She never gave up on him when he didn’t understand something, and she was patient when he got frustrated. She was one of the nicest creatures he had ever met and he couldn’t wait until he had the words to truly tell her so. He was pretty sure something like that would really make her smile.

He had also noticed that she was always excited to see him as well, especially after the day under the Big Tree and the day on the river bank, and that truly made him feel special. She liked having him around. Even more exciting, if his nose had been correct – and it usually was— she liked it when he touched her. She didn’t mind his fangs. 

In the last few times he’d gone to see her, he had tried different ways to touch her without being obvious about it in order to find out what she liked and didn’t like. It was the best plan to figure out human mating signals, he decided. Grabbing her hand to get her attention, brushing away hair from her eyes or, his favorite, taking her up into the trees with him to show her the animals that prowled about. He claimed it was to learn the names of the beasts, but it was a wonderful excuse to hold her so she wouldn’t feel nervous about being up so high and to get her accustomed to his gestures of affection. He was also able to smell her better when she was closer and he liked how she smelled like him afterward.

The hanyou barely felt the rough bark beneath his back as he lounged in his favorite tree near the den. Now that he had other interests outside the pack, he found it hard to sleep inside. He’d managed to convince his brother it was to better protect the pack, and in a way it was, but Inuyasha liked being out under the open sky. He could see further and alert the sentries if he saw anything suspicious coming. Plus no one could bother him while he was up there and it helped him think better. Thoughts of Kagome seemed to swamp him often, though Inuyasha was usually confused by their nature.

The few small tastes he gotten of her haunted him, making him wonder what it would be like to taste more of her. Her scent already calmed him when he was upset and excited him when he least expected it. When he returned to the den, he had taken to jumping in the river on the way back to rinse off some of her scent. He hated doing it, but he knew his brother or Kikyo would smell it and it would cause a lot of trouble. He wanted to permanently smell like her and for her to smell like him.  **_The only way to do that is to mate with her._ ** But he didn't know if she wanted the same thing and he didn't know how to ask her yet.

A crunching sound and the occasional snap of a twig brought the approach of something to his attention. He took a sniff of the air and easily recognized the scent. What in the hell was she doing all the way out here? How had she found this place? He crawled silently down the tree and into the leaf litter before swooping up behind the intruder and clamping a hand over her mouth.

“You should not be here,” he whispered frantically, taking the struggling figure away from the den even as he spoke. He perked an ear and knew the other sentry had taken his place as soon as he’d left the area, unaware of the nature of the visitor Inuyasha now stole away with. At least the pack was well trained.

“I didn’t know you were here. I was just running,” she whispered back once he’d removed his hand. “I was hoping I’d find you, but I didn’t really know where to look.”

“If it was not me you would be dead, Kagome!” She turned toward him, pouting slightly. She was a stubborn girl, that was for sure. Why was she running? He could smell the panic on her and it made him grimace. “Why are you out here?” 

Her eyes went from defiant to fearful in the blink of an eye. “They’re gone! Both of them. Grandfather and Naraku are both gone and I can’t find them anywhere. I look…” Kagome froze at the sound of a low growl. She looked to Inuyasha but he was standing with his back to her in a low crouch. He was… protecting her. In the darkness under the trees she couldn’t see what from, but there was no mistaking the way he kept himself between whatever it was and her. “What is it Inuyasha?” she whispered. The dog-eared man placed one clawed hand on her hip to keep her behind him as he rotated. Apparently the threat was moving in from a slightly different angle. Finally a lithe black figure stalked into the clearing nearby.

Kagome quickly realized that the figure was in fact a large black dog, a female probably, and she didn’t seem all that thrilled with the human woman’s presence. She also soon realized that the growls both the dog and Inuyasha were emitting were communicative. He was talking to the female. Kagome obviously had no idea what they were saying, but it didn’t seem to be a particularly friendly conversation if the way the dog’s hackles were raised was any indication. Still Kagome was in heaven to finally see one of the creatures she had so desperately wanted to study since she was ten years old.

“Why did you bring her here, Inuyasha? You know how dangerous it is!” the female dog growled at her pack-mate.

“I didn’t bring her here. She came on her own. She was frightened and she was running blindly. You know I would never bring her here on purpose!” Inuyasha snarled right back at her. No way was he going to back down, not when she was supposed to be supporting him on this!

“She might…”

With a sharp growl and a snap of his teeth Inuyasha interrupted her. “Stop right there. Kagome wouldn’t hurt anyone or anything. She could have turned me away long ago or had that man with her try to kill me the first time I went to see her. But she didn’t. She told me in her language that we are friends and that it means very much the same thing that it means for us.” He paused to try a calmer tone. “She cares about me, Sango. I know it. Right now I have to take care of her. Her pack males are missing and she’s all alone in the forest. I wouldn’t leave you if you were defenseless like this and I won’t leave her either.” Sango watched him skeptically for a few minutes before snorting and sitting back on her haunches, licking her chops in resignation.

“Alright Inuyasha. You obviously trust her.” Inuyasha relaxed a good deal and returned to his fully upright standing position. He heard Kagome shuffle a bit closer, hoping to get a better look at Sango. “She’s a curious thing, isn’t she?”

“She’s been looking forward to meeting one of the pack since she was a pup. You’re the first one other than me she’s seen.” He turned at Sango’s nod and motioned for Kagome to kneel down with him. She quickly complied, her guide and grandfather forgotten for the moment, and marveled at the magnificent creature that was Sango.

“She’s absolutely beautiful, Inuyasha.” He smirked and translated for his canine friend. Sango sat up a little straighter and her tail wagged a bit behind her. “Which one of your pack-mates is she?”

“This is my friend Sango. She has been there for me since my mother died.”

“Tell Kagome she’s not so bad looking herself, for a human. I can see why you like her. Tell her I can’t wait to see your pups.” Sango laughed when Inuyasha blushed and spluttered, not knowing what to say in response to her playful accusation.

“I will not tell her that!”

“Tell me what?” Inuyasha turned a sheepish smile on the human girl kneeling next to him. He hadn’t even thought about it and had spoken in words instead of the yips and growls that were his native tongue.

“Uh… er… Sango thinks you are pretty.”

“Well thank you Sango,” Kagome beamed at the dog. “What was so bad about telling me that?” Inuyasha sat wide-eyed for a few moments before a gasp from Kagome alerted him to the fact that she wasn’t even thinking about it anymore.

“What?”

“My grandfather! I was distracted! Inuyasha, you have to help me look for him, please,” she cried quietly. He explained the situation to Sango and she agreed to keep an extra eye on the den for him, though she tried to argue that she should come with him. For some reason it just made him feel better. He then grabbed hold of Kagome’s hand and took her to where he kept his pants hidden. As he slipped into them, he saw that Kagome turned away in embarrassment.  **_Humans and their… modesty? Was that the word?_ ** He shrugged.

“We will start at your camp. The… the scent will lead from there to where they went.” Kagome nodded her agreement to his plan and allowed him to lead her back to her tent. Her hand felt so small in his large one, but perfectly protected. She shook her head. Now was no time to be thinking about things like that. She had to find her grandfather, and Naraku too, even if she didn’t like him very much. “He wants you, you know,” came Inuyasha’s gruff but quiet voice.

“Pardon? Who wants me?”

“Naraku. He… I don’t know the words. He wants you to be his, I think. I could tell the first time I saw you and him in the forest. You were… drawing, that’s it… drawing a flower and he looked at you with… I don’t know the words again.” Kagome watched as he deflated like he always did when he didn’t have the vocabulary to tell her what he wanted to say. She had pretty much gotten the idea.

“Lust, Inuyasha. You think he wants to…” she paused, blushing as Inuyasha turned to stare at her. She didn’t know where her mouth had been running but this was not something for her to be explaining to Inuyasha and certainly not at a time like this. “I’m sorry, I’ve distracted you.”

He turned eagerly to look at her. “I think he wants to what?” He really wanted to know the words. His insatiable curiosity had distracted him from their hunt and he wouldn’t be able to focus again until he knew how to explain the feeling Naraku had toward Kagome. His ears flipped forward, focused entirely on the girl in front of him.

Kagome felt even more awkward with his full attention on her. His eyes were so intense in the moonlight, so needy. She couldn’t deny him anything when he gave her that look. “That he wants to… try to practice making pups with me I guess.”

“Yes, that's right. But he would not let you choose. He would try even if you told him no.” At Kagome’s confused and horrified look he tapped his nose. He could smell the man’s bad intentions whenever he was near enough to catch a whiff of him. Naraku was not a nice person no matter the mask he wore. Kagome started quaking, fear in her scent, and Inuyasha instantly knew what she was thinking. Naraku could have already come after her. Now she was concerned that he had kidnapped and hurt her grandfather. “You will be fine Kagome. I’m here to protect you. Nothing will hurt you,” Inuyasha soothed as he rumbled gently. Though she didn’t necessarily understand what the sound meant, she understood the feeling behind it.

The poor hanyou was nearly startled out of his mind when Kagome rushed at him and threw her arms around his waist, pressing her face against his chest. He didn’t know how to react at first. She obviously wanted comfort but he didn’t know how humans gave it. A memory from when he was a very young pup flashed in his mind of his father in human form holding his mother much like he thought he should be holding Kagome in this moment. Tentatively he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He could feel every curve of her body pressed against him, her warm breath on his skin and her fingers gripping his back tightly. He could get used to this given a different situation.

After a moment, Kagome strove to collect herself, lifting her head and glancing at him before staring at his chest instead. “I’m sorry Inuyasha. I… I shouldn't have done that,” Kagome whispered as she stepped back, wide-eyed. He could smell her regret. And fear. She thought he would reject her for touching him without permission. “I shouldn’t take advantage of your kindness like that.”

“I liked it,” he admitted quietly, watching the girl in front of him stare up at him, her brown eyes shining in slight wonder. “I don’t think that you want to make pups with Naraku and I… I don’t want you to make pups with him.” 

“Don’t worry, I don’t plan on it.” She looked at him strangely for a few moments, apparently trying to decipher his hesitant and shy behavior, but gave up when Inuyasha pulled her in the direction of camp. When they got there, nothing seemed out of place, there was no evidence of a struggle or anything of the kind. The only thing wrong was the fact that the males were missing. Kagome called out for her grandfather a few times but turned to Inuyasha with a dejected look on her face when no one responded except the insects and birds of the night.

Inuyasha lifted his nose to the air. He caught the scent of the old man and the potent stench of the younger male. “I can smell them this way. They must have been here... not long.” He set to following the trail they had left with Kagome close at his heels. The path was obvious, not only from the scent but also from the broken branches and trampled undergrowth. Inuyasha kept one ear on the forest around him while the other listened intently to Kagome’s breathing and heartbeat. For some reason it was a comfort just knowing she was alive and breathing, right behind him no less.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome asked in an exaggerated whisper. He stopped where he was and nodded that he was listening. “Shouldn’t we have some kind of plan before we find them? I mean… I didn’t think you wanted anyone else to know you’re here and the ship might be here. There would probably be some men on that boat that would love to kidnap you and take you back with them to sell to science or a zoo.” Inuyasha wasn’t quite sure what all that meant but it didn’t sound good either way. At any rate Kagome was highly distressed and it was railing against his instincts to allow it to continue. He set her straight by taking her back into his arms and nuzzling the top of her head. She relaxed against him and just allowed him to calm her fears and alleviate her doubts.

“Don’t worry. I will be careful and these men won’t hurt you. We will get your grandfather back.” He felt Kagome nod against him and he looked down to see her looking up at him. He gulped slightly but wasn’t sure why he was feeling so strange. Something about her lips drew him. He didn’t know why but he wanted something at that moment, something that only Kagome could give to him. Then he could read it in her eyes, her scent, and her body language. Trust. Trust and acceptance. She was confident that he would protect her and get her grandfather back. And there was nothing in her to suggest that he disgusted her, that she pitied him or thought him repulsive. The way she clung to his waist showed him how little his mixed heritage mattered to her. She sought comfort and protection in him and he found himself more than willing to give her what she needed and more.

Kagome lost herself in Inuyasha’s eyes. The look he was giving her made her feel warm in spite of the chilled night air and the fear she felt over her grandfather’s disappearance faded into the back of her mind in lieu of Inuyasha’s protective embrace. He would help her, protect her. She had no doubts of that now. “Thank you Inuyasha,” she whispered, still entranced by the fire in his eyes. He nodded but did not look away for some time. Kagome felt the urge to kiss him, but stopped herself knowing he probably would be offended or confused by the action. Instead she slid her hand down his arm until she could reach his hand and maneuvered it so that her palm met his. The hanyou seemed slightly baffled by her gesture, raising their touching hands between their chests to watch them curiously. Staring at them added a soft look to his eyes and Kagome felt the butterflies in her stomach go a little crazy. He was so beautiful in the moonlight, so exotically striking. She felt less and less inclined to resist her urges, and slowly lifted her chin to bring their lips closer together. Inuyasha looked perplexed at first but quickly caught on, lowering his head to tentatively touch his lips to hers. Kagome had never kissed anyone before but she’d read enough bad dime novels to know how the idealized version of a first kiss was supposed to go.

Unsure of what they were doing but knowing that it made him feel like he was flying, Inuyasha pressed a little closer, pulling Kagome against him with the arm still wrapped around her waist. She seemed even more hesitant than he felt but it wasn’t because she was afraid. It appeared that Kagome knew almost as little about this as he did. Knowing this gave him a little more courage and Inuyasha gripped her hand with his, pulling her even closer. She responded by opening her lips to him slightly, invading his mouth with her taste with the simple action. Inuyasha found himself doing the same to better taste her. He liked this. This must have been how humans initiated mating because he could smell Kagome’s excitement, her arousal, begin to filter into the air and it was certainly having the same effect on him. Inuyasha realized that if that was what Kagome wanted, it was what he wanted too. Slowly he pulled back enough for them to breathe and opened his mouth to ask her if it was indeed what she wanted. 

“Well, well, well. What is it you’ve found Miss Kagome?” came a darkly amused voice, startling the two of them apart.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our fearless dog boy and his human face the unexpected and unwelcome interruption of their moment...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we return to the next ~~regularly scheduled~~ installment of Jungle Fever!

“Well, well, well. What is it you’ve found Miss Kagome?” came a darkly amused voice, startling the two of them apart. Inuyasha instantly took a defensive stance in front of Kagome, knowing that stench and that voice and furious with himself for not smelling it sooner. “What a very interesting discovery you have made! And decided to take it to bed with you too it appears,” Naraku snarled as he slipped from the shadows. “No wonder you were so… frivolous the last month or so. You will see the error in that soon enough I’m sure.” Kagome was frozen behind him but he would protect her. Inuyasha refused to let anything happen to Kagome with him around.

“What have you done with Gramps, Naraku? You better not have hurt him!” Kagome shouted from behind Inuyasha’s back, coming back to herself after the momentary shock. She couldn’t believe she’d been caught kissing Inuyasha at a time like this and by Naraku of all people. Talk about getting caught with your pants down! Not that she regretted kissing Inuyasha at all. Now that she knew what to look for and he was being more open about it Kagome had no problem feeling the evil that seemingly oozed off of Naraku like oil.

As the dark haired man stepped closer, Inuyasha growled lowly, warning him back. He didn’t quite know what to expect from this man, yet in all reality he had the advantage. He’d watched this man move through the forest whereas Naraku had never laid eyes on Inuyasha in his life. Inuyasha had a feeling that, while he had a good idea of what the forest held, Naraku had no idea what a hanyou was capable of and he would soon learn that he had made a very big mistake threatening Kagome. “Where is the old man?” he asked, golden eyes narrowed at the man in front of him.

“Oh and it speaks too! How delightful, Kagome,” he said with mock enthusiasm. “You might make a good parrot, animal, but you are not a man and you cannot contend with a real man,” Naraku snapped without bothering to try concealing his jealousy and disgust. Kagome was appalled by how Naraku was treating Inuyasha, the unadulterated hatred in his voice. She should have expected as much from him but she had wrapped herself in her own beautiful world with Inuyasha so much that she had forgotten the prejudices of the outside world. “Now then my dear, it is time for you to stop playing this silly game and come with me.” Naraku reached for Kagome around Inuyasha and even he was unable to mask his shock and pain when Inuyasha swept his claws across his arm. The hanyou would have taken Naraku’s arm off if the dark-haired man hadn’t moved out of the way in time, though he was still left with long bleeding streaks through his sleeve. Naraku hissed in pain, gaining a feral smirk from Inuyasha.

“You will stay away from Kagome,” Inuyasha snarled. Naraku seemed unimpressed but Kagome could see the fear lurking in his eyes while Inuyasha could smell it in his scent. The pair remained wary of him. Kagome’s memory suddenly supplied that the guide likely had a gun on him and, just as she was about to warn Inuyasha, Naraku reached for it. Inuyasha saw the movement and didn’t wait to find out what it was about. Snatching Kagome around the waist he leapt into the air, snagging a tree branch and vaulting them into the canopy. Naraku’s shot fired into the bushes, missing completely. “What is that?” he questioned Kagome as he pulled them further and further into the upper branches of the tree, his sensitive ears still ringing from the explosion.

“A gun. Thank goodness you moved in time.” Kagome proceeded to explain the workings of a gun as best she could but the most important part she emphasized to Inuyasha was to make sure he was not in the way when it went off. He didn’t seem to fear the weapon but after her desperate explanation he was more willing to believe the damage it could do. “It’s a coward’s weapon, but that doesn’t mean it can’t kill you.” Inuyasha nodded but hushed her as he listened for Naraku’s frustrated movements below them. The man was swearing darkly and loudly about his arm, not even trying to hide his location. Inuyasha’s ears twitched when Naraku then began yelling up at them.

“Come down and fight me, you beast! Are you a coward that you would run and hide? Fight me and we will see who Kagome will stay with in the end,” Naraku chuckled. “If you don’t come down at all, I will simply kill the old man. I’m sure that isn’t what you want, Kagome, now is it?” Kagome swallowed a sob and looked up at Inuyasha fearfully, terrified and yet still trusting him to make things right. With a fierce look Inuyasha patted Kagome’s stomach where he held her before slowly pulling his arms from around her waist.

“No, Inuyasha, don’t,” she whimpered, clinging to him. The hanyou shook his head, continuing to peel her desperate hands from his arms. “He’ll kill you! We’ll find another way to save my grandfather,” whispered the frightened girl to her hanyou companion who seemed determined to die for her. She begged him to stay, that they would find another way, that he would be killed if he went down there, but he didn’t listen. He needed to show the fool below that no one dared threaten what was his and walked away. Sniffing the air Inuyasha was surprised by the familiar scent that wafted to his nose.  _ Sesshomaru _ ? What was he doing there? A low growl and a yip conveyed his question to his brother who happened to be lurking in the shadows outside the clearing. Inuyasha barely saw his bright white tail swish in the dark before it was gone.

“I am watching out for my pack. Whether I dislike you or not, you are family,” the dog leader informed him with a huff. Inuyasha was slightly taken aback that his elder half brother had deemed him worth helping. With an incredulous snort Inuyasha began explaining the situation as well as he could while making sure Kagome stayed still on her branch. She continued to sob until he barked sharply at her to stop. “This Sesshomaru is not afraid of some human. Protect your bitch and I will defeat this human Naraku.”

“Sesshomaru, you don’t understand. That thing he’s got, we can’t fight him while he has it. We have to get it away from him.” As he growled and barked at his brother Inuyasha slid down the tree, leaving Kagome after telling her to stay silent and close to the trunk. She whimpered quietly but complied with his command, silently demanding a kiss, which he was more than willing to give her. Once on the ground Inuyasha could keep better tabs on the raving Naraku who was making a futile attempt to climb the tree next to the one Kagome was in, thinking she was somewhere in its branches. Finding his brother was easy as well since the older dog was easier to see closer to the ground. “I have a plan,” Inuyasha told Sesshomaru, smirking while the two of them slunk in the undergrowth.

“And who exactly is the pack leader here?” Sesshomaru snorted, sticking his nose in Inuyasha’s face. “This Sesshomaru does not take orders from pack mates, even if you are my younger brother.” Inuyasha internally gaped at his brother’s somewhat special treatment but they had far more important things to be worrying about.

“This is no time to fight, Sesshomaru. I know more about humans than you do, especially these humans. Kagome is terrified of that thing and I trust her. If she says it can kill, it can.” Sesshomaru seemed unimpressed but he nodded that he understood. The two brothers discussed their plan, Sesshomaru not very thrilled with the idea.

“You want this Sesshomaru to take on the form of a human?”

“Yes. You need hands and your poison claws. You don’t have those in your normal form.” Inuyasha took a deep breath before laying on the flattery. He knew he was going to regret it later, but it was the only way he could think of to get his brother to listen to him. “If Father could hold the form for several days I’m sure that you could do it longer. You’re stronger than he was. This is the only way.” He didn't want to press the issue that they had to look as similar as possible for the plan to work. Sesshomaru seemed to contemplate the idea for a bit but in the end he agreed to Inuyasha’s plan.

“If this plan of yours does not work I will think nothing of killing the human male outright.” Inuyasha nodded vigorously. He didn’t care if Naraku was killed, so long as Kagome was safe. The brothers discussed their plan again before taking their positions on either side of the clearing where Naraku had taken to shouting into the branches of the trees. He was threatening Kagome, saying he would kill her grandfather. He’d even threatened to hunt down and kill every wild dog in the forest, but Kagome was doing as Inuyasha had bade her, silent on her tree branch and not giving away her position in the slightest. Inuyasha could smell the change in his brother’s scent as the wild dog became the man. Trying not to chuckle at his brother’s near-silent sounds of frustration, the hanyou prepared himself to attack the dark-haired man in the center of the clearing. 

As soon as he heard his brother’s growled signal, he darted from the shadows of the bushes, taking Naraku out at the knees. A shot was fired from Naraku’s six-shooter into the sky as the human man fell to the ground. Inuyasha darted off again to where he could sense his brother, the signal for the elder of the two to dash out and again attack the human. Sesshomaru was a little unsteady on his feet, now that he was only balancing on two, but he was still much faster than Inuyasha and he managed a poisonous slice on Naraku’s side as the man again tried to shoot his attacker. The bullet whizzed past Inuyasha’s ear, nearly nicking it in passing. Naraku crouched down, staring warily into the forest where he thought his assailant had last gone. With his attention diverted to Sesshomaru, Inuyasha had a chance to attack Naraku again from behind, trying to take the human’s weapon from his hand but only managing to knock the man on his backside for a minute.

“Bastard! Come out and fight me like a man!” Naraku shouted. His face was flushed with anger and frustration, pain making it look tight. Inuyasha and his brother were still crouched among the bushes on one side of the clearing, watching the human carefully with narrowed golden eyes. Inuyasha’s plan was working just as he had hoped, Naraku too blind in the night to tell the difference between the two silver-haired beings that attacked him.

“He is as foolish as you thought,” Sesshomaru conceded.

Inuyasha had trouble hearing him over the ringing in his one ear. “But we aren’t finished yet. We have to get rid of him, get him out of the forest at least.” Inuyasha mulled over possible ways for them to chase the human male out of their territory without either of them coming to harm. Unfortunately he was at a loss. The hanyou watched his brother contemplate the seething human from the shadows at his side, just now taking in his humanoid appearance. Silver hair, not unlike his own though sleeker, cascaded down his back. The elder of the two brothers was also taller and leaner, though his physical power was indisputable. Two sharp stripes marked his cheeks while a crescent moon stood out on his forehead. His ears were more human than Inuyasha’s but undeniably pointed. Inuyasha felt something akin to jealousy for all of a moment before he turned his full attention back on their immediate problem.

Sesshomaru did not comment on his brother’s staring, allowing him to take in his appearance. Though it was unfamiliar and a bit awkward for him, Sesshomaru couldn’t ignore the usefulness of this form. He wasn’t completely defenseless as he had believed he would be. It was as if all kinds of previously untapped energy were thrumming through his very being, singing at the thought of being allowed out. His claws glowed faintly in preparation to deal yet another venomous assault on the evil human male who was waiting warily in the center of the clearing.

His brother yipped to get his attention. “If I drop down on him from above I can knock that thing out of his hand. You’ll have to keep his attention down toward the ground though.” Sesshomaru contemplated this plan before giving a nod and grunt of approval. He allowed out a vicious snarl to attract the human’s gaze in the right direction as Inuyasha slipped up the nearest tree and into the canopy over his head. The brother still on the ground dodged easily as another bullet zipped through the foliage and into a tree, splintering the wood in all directions. A rumbling growl vibrated in his chest at the audacity of this human to come into his territory and damage the forest. He could now see how such a thing would cause a fair amount of pain if not death outright. While very long-lived, he knew he was not immortal.

“S-Sesshomaru? Are you Inuyasha’s brother?” he heard a voice whisper from above him. He glanced upward, spotting his brother’s female in the branches above him. He gave a short nod. “The gun he has. It can only fire six shots before he has to put in more bullets. I haven’t seen him reload it. He only has three more.” She paused as he processed what she had said. He was familiar enough with her language from his brother’s mother and what his brother had explained to know the words “gun,” “shot,” and the numbers she spoke of. His gaze returned to the human in the clearing to make sure he didn’t miss Inuyasha’s attack. “If you can get him to fire…”

Suddenly there was a yell as the hanyou dropped out of the trees and onto the human man who’s attention had been on the brush where he’d last heard growling. The two struggled with the weapon as Naraku tried to point it at Inuyasha while the hanyou tried to loosen his grip in order to toss it away. Sesshomaru tensed to spring, claws glowing and dripping with poison. He got close enough to leave gashes in the barrel of the weapon but had to dance back when he almost burned his brother. Naraku howled in fury, fingers singeing from the poison sliding along the metal in his hand. Finally he dropped it, but he had a sharp blade in his other hand before either brother realized it. He slashed across Inuyasha’s shoulder, blood immediately welling up and running down his arm. The hanyou yelped and backed off as well, both he and Sesshomaru standing just out of range.

“So you bleed just like the rest,” Naraku panted. “What are you?” he spat at Sesshomaru, though the awe was apparent in his eyes. Sesshomaru stood, proud and unashamed on two legs, wearing nothing but a snarl on his lips.

“Leave this forest and we will let you live.” Naraku let out a mocking laugh in response. Inuyasha fought to ignore the pain in his arm and cracked his knuckles menacingly, matching his brother’s snarl. “Where is the old man?” he repeated.

“The old fool is at the beach, waiting for the boat to arrive. If the tide doesn’t get him first.” Inuyasha heard Kagome gasp and move, clearly about to look for a way down. He barked at her to stay put, knowing she at least understood that command in his language. “I’m sure the boys on the boat will be happy to help me round you all up and either cage or shoot the lot of you.”

Inuyasha conveyed to Sesshomaru what he’d said. A threat like that could not be tolerated. “We cannot allow him to live. We know where your female’s elder is. He is no longer useful and cannot be allowed to tell any others of his kind where to find our pack.” Inuyasha struggled with it for a moment. He didn’t want to kill him, no matter how evil he felt he was. Kagome would not approve.

“Inuyasha, you have to.” She let out a little sob.  _ Protect pack _ , she yipped to him. His golden eyes widened and shot up to where she was perched in the tree for a moment before looking back at the human who was beginning to look more nervous. His eyes darted repeatedly to the gun which was out of his reach. He was trying to make a plan.

“Sesshomaru…” Inuyasha sighed before giving his brother the go ahead and moving back toward Kagome so he could take her away. They needed to find her grandfather and he would never want her to see this man torn to pieces. He had her out of the tree and they were several leaps away before a yell filled the forest, a ferocious growl and finally a long scream following after. It was done then. At least Sesshomaru hadn’t drawn it out, no matter how he might have wanted to make the man suffer.

“He…”

“Yes. He was very dangerous.”

“I know. I’m sorry I… This is all my fault!” Kagome whimpered from his back. He took a deep breath. It wasn’t really her fault and yet he couldn’t deny that her desire to study his kind was what had led to where they were now.

“He was a bad man, Kagome. He chose. You did not know.”

“But I should have. I should have seen.” He shook his head and picked up speed. They were approaching the beach where the boat they had come ashore in was tied up. Kagome’s grandfather was nowhere to be seen and Inuyasha could smell Kagome’s rising panic. What if they had been wrong to trust Naraku’s words? “Gramps!” she called out, hoping to get a response. “No, no, no,” she whimpered. Inuyasha lifted his nose to the air but found the pungent salt in the air a bit overwhelming. He could barely smell Kagome at his back let alone the faded scent of two males he wasn’t as familiar with. “There! There are drag marks!” He saw what she was talking about and followed them around a large rock and instantly spotted the old man, bound and gagged, a rock tied to his feet to keep him from getting away from the incoming tide. The waves were lapping at his shoulders and he was visibly tiring from trying to lift his face away from the water.

Inuyasha let Kagome down and bolted to the rope tied to the weight, slicing through it with his claws. The salt water stung his wound something awful, but he had more important things to worry about. Kagome was there, pulling at her grandfather’s restraints to keep him above the water. Inuyasha hefted him up and onto the dry sand before cutting those ropes as well. Kagome pulled the cloth gag from his mouth and openly wept as she gathered her grandfather into her arms and told him how glad she was that he was safe. Inuyasha looked on in silent awe. He had seen almost the full range of her emotions since she’d stumbled upon him in the forest. The relief was palpable and he almost felt uncomfortable to watch their reunion.

“Oh! But Naraku, we must…”

“He is gone,” Inuyasha finally spoke up. Kagome’s grandfather’s head whipped around to stare at him, truly noticing him for the first time. “My pack leader will remove him from the forest.”

Kagome’s gentle hand on his shaking shoulder made him jump slightly. He didn’t turn his eyes away from the silver-haired being in front of him. “Gramps…”

“Hanyou. You’re hanyou!” he breathed, old eyes blinking in the moonlight, trying to take in all of his features at once.

“Yes.” Inuyasha shifted, feeling like his skin was crawling with insects. Maybe this was that feeling “awkward” that Kagome had tried to explain to him once.

“Gramps, this is Inuyasha.”

Understanding dawned as he looked between the two young people. “This is where you’ve been. Why you’ve been so distant lately.” Kagome had the decency to blush at her grandfather’s assessment. “You taught him spoken language?” His surprise was turning to scientific curiosity. Kagome grinned a little and nodded to Inuyasha to ask for help getting her grandfather to his feet. He was weak from his ordeal and it took both of their support to help him navigate the trail to their camp. Kagome asked Inuyasha to wait for her while she helped the old man change into dry clothing and get him a cup of hot tea. Inuyasha watched in fascination as she started a fire and put the kettle to boil.

A distant howl perked his ears in the direction opposite of the den and Kagome’s camp. His brother declaring the threat was gone and letting anyone else with ideas know he would take on any other challengers. Inuyasha stepped into the forest for a moment to howl his confirmation. Glad that the human who would have hurt Kagome, and her family given the chance, was gone and that his own pack leader was unscathed, Inuyasha hovered at the edge of the camp. He wasn’t sure if he should return to the den or stay with Kagome.

“Inuyasha? Inuyasha?” The panic in her voice set his feet in motion before he even realized it. Her relief when he slinked out of the shadows was wiped off her face when she saw the blood on his arm. “Inuyasha! Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?” He looked down at himself and realized she meant the cut on his shoulder. About to protest that he was fine, he was startled by the firm grip on his hand, pulling him to one of the crates they used for sitting. Kagome spent a long time fussing, cleaning the wound and the blood that had already dried on his skin. While he usually would have brushed off her worry, he could feel that this was something she needed more than he did. “I cannot thank you enough.”

His ears perked up at her soft words, head tilting in confusion. “Thank me?”

“For what you did tonight. What you risked. For me.” Her eyes were focused on wrapping a bandage over and around the pad she’d placed over the wound. She had explained that it would help stop the bleeding and keep it clean. There were tears in her eyes. Inuyasha huffed and gently wiped the moisture away. 

She blinked up at him, sucking in a breath as she caught his gaze. The moonlight lit his eyes with golden fire and she was yet again stunned by his beauty. Surging forward, she caught his lips with hers, the hand resting on his shoulder skimming to the back of his neck. He growled softly at the fierce way she kissed him, the desperation in her obvious. He felt a similar desperation rise in him. His hands went to her hips, at first to pull her closer, then gently pushed her back. “Your grandfather,” he breathed just before the old man came out of his tent. He knew the old man would not like them initiating mating in front of him. He was still an unfamiliar male and Kagome explained once that things related to “courting,” as she called it, were usually private. Kagome closed her eyes for a moment, composing herself, then finished the bandaging.

“There. That should hold. I’ll check it for you tomorrow?” Inuyasha could only nod dumbly. He remained quiet for some time as Kagome explained to her grandfather all she had been teaching him and what she had learned in return. “Inuyasha has only been able to teach me a few phrases. They are difficult for our vocal tracts to mimic.” His ears perked as she tried to demonstrate the equivalent of “listen” which they used to get each other’s attention.

“Ah, yes. Effective, I see,” the old man said, a warm grin toward Inuyasha at his automatic response. “And you, my boy, your pack has protected you all this time.”

Inuyasha nodded before deciding more needed to be said. “My mother and father kept me safe when I was a pup. When they died, my brother became pack leader. My father made him promise to keep me in the pack, even if others did not like it. Now I help protect the pack, so I am needed.”

“Your pack accepts you?” he asked more pointedly.

“I’m not sure what that means,” he replied honestly, a look for help tossed to Kagome.

She smiled a little sadly. “That your pack wants you to stay. That they like you the way you are.” He frowned at that, unsure what to say. Some of them liked him just fine. Sango, Miroku, the pups. Not all of the pups’ mothers liked him, but they had no problem letting them play with him. The other males in the pack mostly did not seem to care one way or the other. They did not see him as a challenger for mates because he was not like them. Those that he often patrolled with knew his abilities made him an excellent protector, his tree climbing allowing him to see farther than they could. He also could fish and hunt birds where they could not which made him a good provider as well. When large game was scarce, he could keep the pack from starving.

“Some do. Others do not.”

Kagome could see this was making him uncomfortable and forestalled any more of her grandfather’s questions. She told him he needed to rest, that Inuyasha needed to heal and even faked a yawn to get the old man to give in. She bustled him back to his tent and found Inuyasha lingering at the edge of camp. “I’m sorry for Gramps. He’s curious about you.” The hanyou nodded that he understood. “Inuyasha…” He looked up with a question in his eyes. She had been about to tell him she wanted to kiss him again, but stopped herself. He moved into the light of the moon and gently took her hand.

“Come to the den with me. When the sun is up.”

“Y-You would want me to visit? After what happened tonight?” He huffed an affirmative. “I would like that very much.” A tiny grin lifted the corner of his mouth and he pulled her into his arms for a short moment. She felt his nose in her hair before he released her and trailed his fingertips down her arm.

“I will come at sunrise.” She let their hands brush as he stepped back, fingers in contact until the very last moment. Kagome couldn’t help hoping she saw the same reluctance to part in his eyes that was surely in hers. He twitched one last smile for her benefit and then he was gone.


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome finally gets the chance to meet the pack...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit spicy later on. 😏

Inuyasha held her hand tightly in his as he approached the den, Sango on her other side as a sort of furry bodyguard. Kagome gulped back her nervousness and kept her chin up. This was the opportunity she and her grandfather had been hoping for for years, the whole point of the entire expedition. But this was even more than that to her. This was Inuyasha's pack, his family. She desperately wanted them to accept her as Sango seemed to. She also felt there was a distinct possibility that the pack wouldn't like that he'd brought her there.

“Almost there,” Inuyasha murmured. Kagome was excited and nervous, he could smell it. He wanted to show her confidence, but he was a little unsure himself. Sesshomaru told him to bring her when he brought it up last night and he was pack leader, so what he decided was pack law. “Sesshomaru,” he spoke his brother's name as he melted out of the shade of the den in his usual form. Inuyasha sensed the others behind him, keeping in the safety of the den until his brother gave the signal that it was safe. Sesshomaru seemed larger today than he had the night before, as if releasing his power to change forms had made his normal form gain in strength as well. Inuyasha didn't know how that worked, but it was a distinct possibility. His father's canine form had been huge compared to the rest of the pack.

“Inuyasha.” His brother eyed Kagome and the fact that Sango sat at alert beside her. “Your bitch is unharmed?” Inuyasha jerked in shock at his brother's insinuation. He glanced at Kagome who looked to him for a translation before turning back to the pack leader. He confirmed that Kagome was fine. She'd been obviously shaken by everything the night before, but she was strong and had pulled through it. She'd taken care of him and his arm still sported the bandage she had wrapped around the knife wound Naraku had given him, though it had almost completely healed already. He realized he'd kept wearing it as an outward sign that he belonged to Kagome, if only in his own mind.

Was Kagome  _ his _ ? He hadn't mated with her. No matter how many times they seemed to have come close, she didn't understand his ways yet and he didn't understand all of hers either. He didn't even know how humans actually mated. Was it similar enough to what he had seen in the den, or was it done in some completely unknown way that he may not be capable of? “Inuyasha? What did he say?” Kagome asked him, stirring him from his thoughts.

“He asked if you were hurt.” She gave his brother a soft smile, remembering not to show her teeth and incite a negative reaction from the pack leader.

“I'm fine. Thank you, Sesshomaru.” The elder of the two brothers gave a small doggy nod and sat down. This seemed to be the signal the rest of the pack had been waiting for. 

Several others slunk out of the cave from behind Sesshomaru, sniffing and eyeing her warily. Kagome fought a gasp of delight. They were beautiful, all of them. They seemed to come in all colors; sable brown, midnight black, moonlight silver, glowing russet. They were everything she and her grandfather had speculated and more. There was a whole passel of puppies, maybe seven that she could see. They were in various stages of development, but all seemed to be six months old at least. Her research had predicted that in the environment they were in, abundant with food most of the year and free of higher predators, pups were likely born almost year round. But all of them seemed no more than a few weeks apart at most. Did they adhere to the more natural rhythm of a mating season? Or to the prediction they had made that the demon part of their nature would influence a more “human” rhythm of “whenever a mated female was fertile?” The age of the pups would imply the former.

Inuyasha listened intently to the sounds of the pack around him. Most of them were curious. Sesshomaru seemed to have explained some of what was going on and who Kagome was. A few growls of upset caught his attention, but they were few and far between. The one key figure he didn't see, and almost hoped not to see, was Kikyo. He knew that since he'd told her he was going to wait another year before choosing to mate, bringing Kagome here would imply he had been unsure about mating with Kikyo, not choosing to mate in general.

Almost as though he'd howled out his thoughts, Kikyo's lithe black figure melted out of the shadows of the forest. She'd obviously been watching from a distance. Inuyasha watched her carefully, translating bits of the conversations going on around them for Kagome. Her face glowed with pleasure at the wealth of new sights, new experiences. Kikyo sat down, watching with a strange look in her eyes. The pups, as curious as Kagome was, edged closer. Inuyasha made a small inviting sound, pulling Kagome down with him to let the pups take in her scent.

“Inuyasha, they're beautiful,” Kagome whispered. He gave her a small smile, nudging Shippo closer, ears still trained on the rest of the pack around them. Of all the pups, he was the bravest and most adventurous.

“Go on,” he urged Shippo. The russet colored pup sniffed carefully before happily licking her and rubbing his head against Kagome's hand. She laughed, making his heart flutter in response, gently scratching Shippo's ears. The pup rolled over, presenting his belly for a scratch as well. The wonder in Kagome's scent tickled his nose. She was so good with Shippo that he couldn't help imagining what she might be like with pups of her own... his pups. 

A yelp of surprise was the only warning he got.

Sango had leapt up to fend off an attack, getting knocked aside when she wasn't prepared. Inuyasha curled Shippo into one arm, grabbing Kagome around the waist, and dove aside. Kikyo stood braced after her landing, baring her teeth at the pair of them with her back up. A snarl ripped its way out of him as he pressed his human behind him, rolling Shippo toward the mothers now crowding their pups behind them. Sesshomaru barked a command for the pack to fall back toward the den, leaving him space to move without risking any of them. Sango had regained her feet, Miroku snarling as he stood between her and Kikyo. “Inuyasha?” Kagome breathed, frightened but remaining still.

“Stay here,” he growled to her. “Sango, Miroku,” he barked, “protect her.”    
They slid into the space he left, allowing him to approach the angry female in front of him. “Kikyo, what are you doing?”

“Another cycle? Another cycle wasted!” she snarled and snapped her teeth at him. “You will become my mate as you promised. That thing is not one of us and yet your scent is all over it! Disgusting! How dare you bring it here.”

“Kagome is learning about our kind. She isn't a threat to anyone here.”

Kikyo snorted in disbelief. “You do not even deny that you intend to mate with it!” There were a few startled noises throughout the pack, but Inuyasha ignored them. What he chose to do did not affect them. “You cannot honestly intend to stay in that weak form and mate with a human,” she balked, clearly shocked at her own revelation.

“This form is no weaker than your form. I can protect both Kagome and the pack in this form,” he growled. He had never had to discipline a female pack-mate before. Tussles with Sango didn't count. He didn't want to hurt Kikyo, but he couldn't let her near Kagome. She would kill a rival female without thinking, even if it would drive him away from her.

Part of him wanted his brother to step in and stop this before it got dangerous, but he knew this was a battle he had to fight on his own. Kikyo wouldn't respect his decision if he didn't prove to her that it was  _ his _ decision to make and his alone. “Inuyasha!” Kagome screamed when Kikyo sprang at him. Ignoring the fear in her voice, he dove to the side, easily avoiding Kikyo's attack. The female dog snarled furiously, turning toward Kagome instead of coming after him again. Sango and Miroku growled their warnings, keeping themselves between Kagome and the wild dog threatening her life. “I'll go,” she whispered desperately, “I don't want anyone hurt. Inuyasha tell her!”

Not taking any chances, he took a running leap to land before Kikyo. “She wants to kill you. She will not allow someone else to mate with me,” he explained with a low growl in his voice, staring Kikyo straight in the eye. He tried once more to calm her, but she stalked close enough that he had to drive her back or risk her getting close enough to hurt Kagome. He howled, darting forward and knocking her off all four feet. She gave a startled yelp, but he had not truly hurt her. They struggled for dominance, Inuyasha gaining several scratches and bites for his trouble not to hurt her in return. Still the larger and stronger of the two, he was able to subdue her, Kikyo spitting her fury at him. “Submit!” he rumbled. She snapped her teeth at his face. “Kikyo, submit!” he roared this time, hoping she would give up now that he had her in a submission hold.

When she finally gave in, Inuyasha released a relieved snort, slowly letting her up. She shook out her fur and stalked out of the clearing with her head held high. He watched her go, not regretting his choice at all. Kagome's soft sniffle behind him made him turn, tilting his head in confusion. “Oh, Inuyasha,” she whimpered, her eyes taking in his minor wounds. But they wouldn't look minor to her, he realized. Giving her a small smile, he went to her, Miroku and Sango stepping aside. Both sets of dark eyes continued to watch behind him, silent sentries in case Kikyo or anyone else made a move on him again. He pulled Kagome into his arms, hugging her like he knew she needed. “You're hurt,” she cried. He chuckled.

“I am fine. They will heal soon.”

“I knew this was a bad idea,” she whimpered, tucking her face into his shoulder and hugging him tightly.

“You didn't want to come?”

“Of course I did. I was afraid your pack-mates would be angry with you for bringing me, an outsider... a human,” she whispered. Inuyasha took a moment to process what she was saying. Releasing a little breath, he loosened his hold and motioned for her to wait. He crouched down to thank Sango and Miroku for their help, silently checking his best friend for any injuries. Sango huffed at him to calm his woman.

“She doesn't know about Kikyo, does she?” He shook his head. “She won't really understand what happened until you explain why Kikyo attacked.” He conceded her point, leaving her as Miroku started to groom her. She let him for a moment before Inuyasha heard a yelp behind him. He shook his head, smiling, taking Kagome by the arm and leading her away from the pack a little. Most of them wouldn't understand, but Sesshomaru might.

“Inuyasha?”

“Sango told me I must explain. Explain why Kikyo tried to hurt you.” Her dark brown eyes were wide but she nodded. “For three cycles, three mating seasons, Kikyo wanted to become my mate. She wanted me to change into a dog forever so that we could be mates.” He rubbed a bite mark to ease the itch as it healed. “I want to stay as I am.”

“You're perfect as you are,” Kagome responded, no room for doubt in her tone. Inuyasha grinned at her.

“I become a dog when the moon is big and human when the moon is gone. I thought I was weak, because I did not know what happened. Now I understand it's a strength too. A different strength.” Her wide eyes took him in as if trying to spot any sign of the changes that came over him. “A few more... days. I will show you.”

Kagome stared at him for a moment. “You don't... you don't show anyone else, do you?” She seemed surprised and pleased at his nod. “You don't have to show me.”

“I want you to see.”

* * *

The moonless night was dark, but the stars provided just enough light that Kagome was able to see the figures approaching. Sango and Miroku trotted alongside the human man coming out of the forest. “Kagome,” he breathed. She smiled at him, reaching out to take one of his hands in her own. He gripped her hand, his blunt human nails intentionally tracing her skin. A thrill raced up her arms to her spine and down it. He wasn't any less handsome than in his hanyou form, but she was excited to see this other side of him.

Leading him to her tent, they left the two wild dogs outside to guard, something they apparently did every month according to Inuyasha. “I can't believe this,” she said with a grin as she lit her lantern. In the flickering light of the flame she could see how dark his hair was, the curves of his human ears, the dark indigo of his eyes. He was like a negative image of himself, dark in all the places he was normally light. “You look so different.” He sat on the small chair she offered him across from where she sat on the edge of the bed.

Inuyasha frowned slightly. “Too different?”

She rushed to reassure him. “No, no I like it.” That wasn't the right answer either she realized when he looked away. “You as a hanyou is perfect,” she supplied quietly, repeating her sentiment from a few days before. “But this is good too.” His dark eyes turned to her, taking her in. She flushed slightly under his perusal. Prepared for his arrival, she'd worn a nice but comfortable dress. It was one of the few that hadn't been ruined in one way or another on this expedition. She'd feared he would show up without his pants and so she'd made sure she was as covered as possible. After the incident with Naraku and how close she had gotten to Inuyasha that night, the several kisses they’d shared, she had determined it was necessary to put some distance between them.

He was wearing the pants and he looked just as exotic and intriguing as a human. “You are perfect,” he whispered, distracting her from her study of him. Kagome smiled softly, squeezing the hand that neither one had bothered to let go of. His free hand came up to touch her knee through the fabric of her dress. “You are not...” he fought for the word he wanted. “Disgusted? That I am weak.”

“No, of course not. Am I weak?” she questioned him with a raised eyebrow.

“Not for a human female,” he replied honestly. Kagome couldn't help grinning and shaking her head. Flattery was certainly not a tactic he would use to get his way. Inuyasha edged closer, his knees touching hers, his hand sliding up her thigh. Kagome gasped at the contact, feeling the heat of his palm through to her skin. She knew she should stop him, but the sensation of his fingertips pressing carefully against her was too good.

Inuyasha had been paying very close attention during the time he'd spent with Kagome, trying to understand the signals she gave to indicate her mood. Secretly he'd hoped to show her his human side at some point, hoping she would feel more comfortable with him. She wasn't responding to him any differently than when he was hanyou, but not being able to smell the changes in her scent made it difficult for him to judge exactly what to say to her. Humans must manage to talk to one another without a strong sense of smell so he could do it too. “I suppose that is nice to hear,” Kagome said with a shaky smile. She was nervous, he didn't need his nose to tell him that. Despite sensing her nervousness, he knew that she was warming under his hands, her body leaning toward his just enough to invite him closer. He responded to the invitation, gently brushing his cheek against hers as her eyelids fluttered shut. 

He marveled at the soft feel of her skin against his and found himself surprised that he could detect some scents, including the fragrance that clung to her hair from washing it and the unique scent of her skin. It wasn't as easy for him to distinguish anything about her with a human nose and a hanyou mind unaccustomed to learning anything about someone without scent, but that didn't mean he didn't enjoy being close enough to smell her. “I like the way you smell,” he murmured in her ear, delighted as she made a soft sound he recognized as wanting more. She did not pull away, his first assumption as to how she would react to his proximity, but her fingers dug into the fabric of his pants, clinging to him as he clung to her skirt. “You like me near,” he whispered, not wanting to scare her off. She nodded faintly, as though not entirely focused. Inuyasha smiled to himself despite being unsure of what to do next. He was obviously doing something right, but he wasn't sure how to encourage her to the next step. He wasn't even sure what exactly the next step was, only that he wanted to get there with Kagome.

He remembered tasting her the night her grandfather had been taken by Naraku, her fierce kiss by the fire. He thought that was a fairly good place to start. Turning his head, he found her lips with his. Kagome made a soft pleased sound in the back of her throat, her lips becoming pliant. Inuyasha groaned, finding himself nearly overwhelmed by the heat of familiar desire in his blood. It hit him harder somehow in his human form, though it came faster when he was hanyou. He decided her scent could arouse him from a distance thus why his lack of that sense made it a requirement for him to be close to her, but the nearness affected him in other ways. No stranger to his body's reaction to a female in heat, Inuyasha was only surprised that Kagome was not in that stage of her cycle and he was quite ready to follow through with the actions his body was demanding. “Inuyasha,” she breathed when he left her mouth to softly nip and taste the skin of her throat, her collarbones and shoulders. She was as responsive to his teeth now as she had been to his fangs by the river that day. Inuyasha could hardly get enough.

Kagome's back arched and he felt her breasts press against his chest. With nothing between them but her simple dress, her every curve was easy to feel against his skin. Inuyasha trailed his mouth further down to tease the peaks through the fabric, a soft cry leaving Kagome's lips. “Hurt?” he rasped. She shook her head and clung to his shoulders to keep him close. He grinned slightly before repeating the action, causing Kagome to bite back another cry. Inuyasha's hands roamed her sides and legs through her dress, wanting to remove the barrier between them. He still didn't completely understand why humans covered themselves with their silly clothes. He could already be mating with Kagome by now if it weren't for her dress! “Off,” he mumbled, pulling at her skirt in an attempt to get it high enough that he could pull it over her head.

It was as high as her knees when she suddenly froze, her hands pushing him back. Kagome's dark eyes were wide in her face, a look of fear he recognized but had hoped never to see directed at him. “Inuyasha, we can't... I can't...”

“Why not? I want to mate with you. We are healthy.” He wasn't sure what else might impede them from doing exactly that. He was even approaching her the right way to mate with him, if the way she had been reacting was any indication. What was stopping them from doing what they both wanted?

Kagome struggled to remember why they couldn't. They weren't married. But marriage was a human convention that had no place in Inuyasha’s world. They were different species. Technically true, but clearly compatible species since he wouldn't exist if they were not.  _ At any rate, he is human at the moment. _ He said he wanted to mate with her. Clearly she wanted to mate with him. “We can't... mate, Inuyasha, because I will have to go home in a few days.” And she couldn't bear to have him for one night and then leave him behind. What if she wound up pregnant and she was forced to raise a child on her own?  _ No, better not to risk it... _ or her heart. “Will you stay with me? Sleep beside me?” Inuyasha gave a soft disappointed sigh, but nodded. He didn't understand what a risk she was taking as it was, but she didn't know how to explain that to him. She allowed him to lay down first before curling up in his arms. 

Inuyasha held her close through the night, not sleeping himself. He never slept on his human night, but it especially escaped him tonight. He tried to memorize the feel of her against him so that, when she left, he would remember how it had felt. He was beginning to see that it would have to last him a very long time.


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha is confronted with the fact that Kagome is leaving. He struggles to name how he feels and how to tell her what her leaving is going to do to him. Sometimes actions speak far louder than words...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Content! Warnings! Because there is content here! (Not giving it away. You're gonna have to read it.)

Inuyasha had watched as Kagome and her grandfather slowly packed their things over the next few days. He stayed away a good portion of the sunlit hours, lurking in the canopy, not offering to help, just watching. Sulking. He didn’t have human words for the things churning in his gut, in his chest. He was upset with Kagome, avoiding speaking to her for fear that she would tell him to go away or fear of what he might try to say to her. At the same time he  _ needed _ to be near her. Each night, he slipped into her tent and curled himself around her as she slept. She barely stirred, settling deeper into sleep and pressing against him as if seeking his warmth. He knew enough to slip back out before the sun rose, disappearing into the forest before she was ever aware he had been there.

During the day, he heard her calling his name, traveling only the known paths in search of him. He didn’t reveal himself, sticking to the canopy where she couldn't spot his movements. The scent of her tears hit his nose from time to time, what he now knew was “guilt” eating at him for ignoring her upset. As much as he wanted to go to her, as much as she wanted to find him, if they couldn't be mated… Inuyasha didn't know what to do.

In the pack, there was not usually much in the way of “talking” about mating. A male found an unmated female he liked the smell of, she decided if she thought he was worthy of fathering her pups, and then she decided if they mated - or didn’t - when the time came. A male might go a few seasons before finding a mate, once he came of age, simply because females were choosy.  **_As they should be!_ ** A female had to make sure they would have strong pups that would survive in the often harsh environment they lived in. Each pup took a lot of time and energy to raise to adulthood, most females only raising a few in their lifetimes. Not  _ all _ males stuck around with their mates like they were meant to. Inuyasha always snarled at the idea that some males left, but he also knew that some of the packs were far more dog than youkai at this point and didn’t have the same sense of honor that his parents had instilled in him.

This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be, the way things were supposed to happen. Kagome was supposed to stay with him forever, be his mate, mother his pups. That's how mating worked, how it worked out in Kagome's stories!  **_Why is she leaving?_ ** Inuyasha was angry with her, but more so he was furious with himself. Was this Kagome being choosy? Was he… not enough? He obviously hadn't proven himself to her, otherwise Kagome would stay by his side. “I guess this is goodbye then,” came Kagome’s soft voice from below his tree, startling him even though he’d known she was there before she spoke. Inuyasha glanced down at her upturned face before leaping from his branch to land beside her. It was the first time he'd let her get close enough to speak to him in days. She didn’t even jump at the abrupt action like she used to and it made Inuyasha smile ruefully. She gave him a watery smile, sadness heavy in her scent. Inuyasha stared, confused by her tears.  **_Why is she sad?_ ** She wasn’t the one being left behind by the one she wanted most. “I’ll miss you terribly,” she admitted in a choked whisper.

“Why are you leaving?” Kagome flinched at the sound of his quiet voice, the whimper the hanyou simply couldn’t hide.  _ Why am I leaving? _ She didn’t belong here. She had only caused problems for the very creatures she had hoped to learn so much about. For the man she had developed such strong feelings for... This had only been a research expedition and now it was time for her to go home. Right? She told Inuyasha as much and the hanyou only grunted at first. Slowly, as if he hadn’t done it a hundred times before, Inuyasha lifted her hand to his and pressed them together, palm to palm.  _ Heart to heart, _ she thought with a pang of grief. Tears streamed down Kagome’s face at the silent reminder of how much he meant to her. “Goodbye Kagome.” His gentle farewell proved to be her undoing, the raven-haired girl throwing herself against his bare chest, great heaving, hiccuping sobs wracking her frame. She felt Inuyasha’s arms come around to hold her close. “Please. Don’t leave, Kagome. Please?” She didn’t want to go, she really didn’t. But her grandfather needed her, didn’t he? And what about her future? Wasn’t she supposed to go back and finish school and then get married and raise a family with some very dependable and intelligent man?

Clinging to Inuyasha, she realized that what she truly wanted... was him. He could protect and provide for her. He was her dashing hero after all. But could he love her? “Inuyasha, why do you want me to stay? Your pack could never accept me.” His arms tightened around her just before Kagome felt her feet leave the ground. She found herself awkwardly straddling a wide branch of Inuyasha’s tree with him still holding her close. After a breath, he pulled back enough to turn her around to lean against his chest. Slowly his arms came around her waist to hold her to him while his chin rested on her shoulder. Kagome felt him growl comfortingly to relax her for a moment before he chose to speak.

“I want to be with you all the time. You accept me as I am.” Kagome raised her hands to settle on his forearms, gently caressing them with her thumbs. A whiff of her scent told the hanyou that the young woman he held was uncertain, but completely content in his embrace. Inuyasha knew now that Kagome didn’t  _ want _ to leave him, she just didn’t know that she could stay, that he  _ needed _ her to stay with him. “Kagome, please stay. Stay with me. We will be our own pack, raise pups together.”

A breathy laugh left Kagome’s lips. In his own way, melting concepts he knew with words she had taught him, he was telling her he loved her. He didn’t really know that word - or the way she felt it for him - but in his very instinctual and emotional way, he was explaining that he wanted her. He wanted to be a family. And for Kagome, that was enough. “If that is what you really want Inuyasha, I’ll find a way to stay,” she whispered, a hesitant smile on her face. The hanyou jerked behind her, obviously shocked by her answer. Slipping from his arms and relying on Inuyasha to catch her if she fell, Kagome turned herself on the branch to face him. “I’ll stay if you want me to stay.” Watching his wide golden eyes for a negative reaction, she placed one arm and then the other around his shoulders. His eyes continued to search hers for something and Kagome smiled reassuringly.

“You are sure?”

“Yes. Are you? You’ll be stuck with me. Once the ship leaves, it will not come back here.” Inuyasha finally grinned back at her. She was worried? Silly human girl.  _ His _ silly human girl.

“Keh.” Kagome pouted for a moment and Inuyasha laughed. “Don’t look at me like that.” Kagome squeaked when Inuyasha tilted his chin and captured her lips in a fierce kiss. Apparently he had gotten better at this. She felt lightheaded, dizzy from the heat of his body against hers. “Kagome,” he murmured as he dragged her even closer, forcing her to straddle his lap. She couldn’t find it in herself to resist in the slightest. A tree was the last place she imagined being in such a position but she felt safer with Inuyasha there than she had even in her tent. Inuyasha would never let her fall. After a moment he pulled back and smirked up at her. Kagome watched him with a dreamy smile and dazed eyes. “That’s it. Look at me like that.” Kagome shook off her stupor to stare at Inuyasha. He was teasing her! Kagome tried to be offended but just ended up giggling instead.

“You know Inuyasha, sometimes you are just too much.” The hanyou seemed to puzzle over this for a little bit, very obviously confused.

“Too much what?” Kagome laughed, shaking her head. Instead of answering, she took the initiative and kissed him. He responded eagerly, cupping the back of her head with one gentle hand only to tilt it so he could kiss her more thoroughly. She accepted the silent command, pressing into his mouth, body melting into his. He wore the pants she had made him almost two months ago, but she felt him hot and hard against her with only his one garment and her underthings between them. A delicious thrill ran through her, Kagome gently rocking against him. Inuyasha released a startled gasp at the same time he released her lips. “K-Kagome...” he whimpered, initiating the contact himself.

“You asked before how humans practiced making pups,” she whispered in his ear. She heard him suck in a sharp, expectant, breath. “You were doing pretty well that night in my tent. You're doing even better today.” He growled softly at the praise. “There's more,” she purred. Kagome couldn't believe the strength of her own arousal, knowing Inuyasha was aroused.

“I don't want to practice,” he growled, firmly holding her hips down against his and leaning forward to nip her throat. “No practicing. No games.” He removed his hands from her hips only so he could scoop her against him, alighting on the ground. He took off through the forest, clutching her close the whole time. Kagome could only hold on for dear life and hope he knew where he was going. There were only a few places they could go, so it was more an issue of if they would be alone. That fear dissipated when she recognized the large tree where they had eaten breakfast together and spent many afternoons studying, reading, and spelling.

There was an even thicker growth of moss than there had been, the rain storms the week before having made everything lush. Kagome breathed in the fresh warm smell of the forest in the afternoon heat. She smiled when Inuyasha set her down for a moment, checking the area for any predators. He was upon her again before she could ask if he'd sensed anything. His mouth found hers and quickly set to tasting and exploring. She melted under him, arms coming around his shoulders to hold him closer. He had her pinned down this time, his hips insistently nudging her thighs apart. “Inuyasha, clothes off,” she whispered against his mouth.

It took him a moment to fully grasp what she was telling him, but he soon had his pants off, eagerly helping Kagome out of her dress and slip. The shoes were a little more complicated, laced up the front, but Kagome gleefully kicked them off when she finally got them undone. Inuyasha lay her dress down, scooping her up to lay her on it. Pleased by the thoughtful gesture, she smiled up at him, kissing him softly and tracing her thumb along his jawline. “Your skin isn't tough enough,” he replied, making Kagome laugh. “I'm going to build you a den, in the Big Tree. You'll always be safe.”

“Really?” she asked, incredulous and awed as he traced his knuckles over her ribs. A delicious shiver raced up her spine at his questioning caress. His lips followed where his fingers had gone, forcing a soft whimper of need to leave her throat. “Up in the tree, you can do that?” He only nodded, too focused on his newest discovery on the human female body.

Inuyasha wasn't completely ignorant of what breasts were for. In one of their lessons, Kagome had blushingly explained to him how women were different from men and why. What he hadn't known nor expected was how sensitive to touch they were, and how much he liked touching them. They were soft, except for the puckered tips, and touching them made Kagome gasp in a very good way. Her scent also increased at his explorations, particularly when he used his mouth, tongue curling around the stiffened peaks and gently tracing his canines across her soft flesh. “I like the way you taste,” he told her in a voice he barely recognized as his own.

“Oh?” she breathed, clearly undecided if she wanted to question him or simply give in to the pleasure he was giving her. “Inuyasha,” she hissed softly, her fingers coming up to tangle in his hair and keep his mouth in contact with her breast. Her dime novels hadn't really mentioned this part. Even if they had, Kagome doubted they could have measured up to the reality.

Inuyasha trailed down her body, seeking the place where her aroused scent was strongest. His nose found it easily enough and he tentatively probed with his tongue. Kagome squeaked in surprise, but her fingers tugged on his hair, trying to keep him there. Inuyasha gladly followed his instinct to taste his mate, gently licking her folds and sucking on her where she directed him to. Her gasps and whimpers made him harder, more ready. “Your…” He realized he didn't have the word he wanted for where his mouth was. “Kagome, what are you called here?” his knuckle gently tracing her.

Her mind hazy from the pleasure as yet unfulfilled, she blurted out what she'd been imagining in her head after the latest spicy novel. “Pussy.”

“Your pussy is sweet,” he purred back. Kagome's scent only increased, a shudder running through her. “I like tasting you,” he whispered, moving up her form and lifting her upper body so he could turn her over. She gasped slightly at the change in position and he scented anxiety. “Kagome?” he questioned. Why was she suddenly feeling nervous?

“I just… This is normal for you,” she whispered, motioning to her position on her hands and knees. “But I… humans can do it this way too, I think, but I want to see your face.” He stared for a moment. So this was not the way humans usually mated. He felt embarrassment flush his cheeks. “It’s alright. Just… be careful? It can be painful the first time,” she explained, a similar blush on her face.

Inuyasha hesitated. If this was painful for her, then he should do what she liked better. He rolled her onto her back and lowered his mouth to her again. She was fully wet and whispering his name shortly. “I think you do not want to practice making pups either,” he murmured, fitting the head of his cock at the opening to her body. “I think you want me to breed you.” He pressed just the tip into her, delighting in her gasp of both pleasure and surprise. “You are hot and wet, Kagome.”

“Yes,” she breathed. She rolled her hips toward him slowly which only let him further into her body. Inuyasha let out a shuddering sigh and watched her intently for any sign of the pain she had warned him about. As long as he didn’t move too much, too fast, she didn’t smell of pain, but he knew she had to be at least uncomfortable. She was slick but very tight around him. “I’m alright, really,” she insisted when he gave her a skeptical look. “Don’t stop now.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.” Her hand cupped his cheek, drawing him down to her lips. “Kagome,” he sighed. She only shifted her hips, encouraging him on. 

The hanyou felt the pull of her body on his, the drive of his instincts only increasing his need. As they moved together, Kagome’s head fell back, her face showing that she was enjoying what he was doing. Inuyasha growled at the exposure of her throat, unknowingly submitting by making herself vulnerable to him. 

Her hands gripped his hips as he moved against her, within her. Inuyasha liked feeling her fingers, her hands touching him, sometimes soft and sometimes grabbing harder. A sensation he would never have known had he never met her. Her nails slightly biting into the skin of his thighs jolted him. His body felt somewhat out of his own control, pushing him toward something he didn’t entirely understand. When it hit him, washing over him like the waterfall at the top of the river, he had a moment of panic. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, a whimper leaving him when his chest relaxed. Kagome was watching him with heavy lidded eyes, a slight smile on her lips. “Now do you know why humans ‘practice’ this?” she teased gently.

It took him several moments to recover enough to respond to her. “I… I will practice as many times as you want, Kagome,” he breathed into her neck, snuffling and nipping, delighting in her laughter.

“I would like that,” she hummed.

They lay together, listening to the forest around them murmur and buzz in the afternoon heat. Kagome felt like her bones were melting. It was so easy to drift off to sleep in Inuyasha’s arms, his clawed fingers lazily sliding through her hair and tracing her spine. “I watch the birds. The ones that take small twigs and twist them?”

“Mm hmm.” Kagome sighed contentedly. “They’re called Weavers. From the family  Ploceidae.”

“I don’t know what that means, Kagome,” he scolded gently, a soft smile on his lips. “They make big houses in the trees. And they work together to make lots of houses so they can move from one to another and live all together.” Kagome stirred more at his words. “I have… tried before, with bigger branches than they use.”

“You… made a nest big enough for you, Inuyasha?” she asked him, a slightly confused frown on her face. “Did it stay up in the tree?”

“Yes.” He looked a bit sheepish. “It is… where I go when I am human sometimes. I can see a long way.” Kagome’s attention was fully caught. “I can take you there, but it is small for two of us.”

“That’s alright, Inuyasha. I want to see the nest you built.” He gave her a fangy grin in response, his golden eyes lighting up with enthusiasm.

“You will want your cover,” he teased her, nodding at her slip laying on the moss beside them. Kagome laughed as he awkwardly tried to help her into it, shaking her head when he offered her his pants. She flushed at the thought of him being naked in front of her more often and on purpose. That was a distinct reality she needed to come to terms with.  _ Inuyasha is going to be naked in front of me… a lot.  _ Inuyasha growled softly, kissing her again, her scent drawing him in. It was a struggle, but Kagome pulled herself away, still red, and told him she really wanted to see what he’d engineered from just observing the Weavers.  _ I knew he was smart, _ she thought as he led her by the hand into the deeper part of the forest,  _ but this is a whole other level. _

Kagome did not truly understand the scale of her hanyou’s ingenuity until she set eyes on his “nest.” A word that hardly did it justice. “Wow, Inuyasha,” she breathed. He only grinned.

“Let me show you,” he murmured in her ear as he grabbed her around the waist.

Kagome could only sigh, “Yes,” as he pulled her close and prepared to take them up into the branches of a tree only slightly larger than the one they had just been under together. The big branch lightly groaned at their landing, but didn’t move despite their combined weight.

Inuyasha had built the equivalent of a small hut in the tree. Not dissimilar from the nests he had spoken of, it was built “upside down” to accommodate his lack of wings. He had stripped the branches of most of their bark and smoothed them down. She could tell, from her own minimal knowledge of weaving, that he had to have soaked them in order to get the curvature of the roof and the little doorway. “Go, it is safe,” he encouraged her, nudging her inside and then squeezing in behind her. He had brought rushes up from the river, laying them out as a mat to protect bare feet from the unevenness of the floor.

“This is… amazing, Inuyasha.” He glowed with pride at her compliment. “How long did it take you?”

He looked up at the rounded ceiling thoughtfully. “At least three or four moons. But I did not know how to do it right at first. It fell many times. I did not come here on my human night until I knew it would hold me.”

Kagome nodded. A fall from this height while human would easily break almost every bone in the body, if not kill outright. Out here, there would be nothing to protect you from death once the animals found you. She shivered. She pointed out the things she noticed, the astounding building innovations Inuyasha had used, especially for a supposedly “wild animal.” He stared in wide-eyed wonder as she laid out how brilliant she thought he was.

“But the birds do it, Kagome,” he told her, waving a hand dismissively.

“Yes, and they have had a very, very long time to develop that technique. Generations of birds teaching their offspring to do what they do and one of them doing it better, then teaching that way instead! But you learned it in a few months and just from watching! I… I wish I had your mind, Inuyasha,” Kagome sighed enviously.  _ No wonder he learned reading so quickly! _ she thought.

She startled a little when he took both her hands, turning her toward him. “You have it. All of me is yours, Kagome.” She opened her mouth to respond, only to be stunned silent by the intensity in his golden eyes. “Mate? You have used that word to describe animal pairs.” She nodded dumbly. “We mate too, until death. We live for our mate, they live for us.”

“Oh,” was all she could breathe in wonder at first. The earnest look in his eyes stole her other thoughts, her entire focus on this brilliant, beautiful man. “Marriage is… supposed to be like that,” she finally sighed, leaning her head into his chest and relishing the feel of his strong arms sliding around her shoulders to keep her close. "It's what I've always dreamed about."

“You said that not all humans stay with one mate. That is not what I want,” he explained seriously.

“No, I don’t either. If… if you want just me…” She didn’t get to finish, his mouth covering hers in an urgent kiss, tongue sweeping in to find hers unsuspecting. She gasped, arching into his firm chest and clinging to his shoulders. When he finally released her lips, she sucked in a shuddering breath. “I-Inuyasha.”

“Females must agree to mating, it is not only the male’s choice. I want you. I will always want you.” He kissed her again, as if trying to get one last argument in before he let her decide. “You must also choose me.”

“I already chose you, Inuyasha,” she told him gently. Her fingertips brushed his cheek, down his jaw. He nuzzled into her hand, golden eyes taking her in. “What we did… That’s… forever for me. I know I told you that for some, it isn’t, but it is for me.” The way he sighed, relief palpable, made her smile. “Can I teach you a new phrase, Inuyasha. It’s an important one, and it’s one I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time.” He nodded, slight hesitation in his stance. His dark brows went low over his eyes as his ears flipped toward her to show the full force of his focus. “When we feel very strongly about someone, family or… or a mate? We say  _ I love you _ . It’s wanting and caring and… Love is that feeling you talked about when you live for your mate,” she clarified. Understanding seemed to light his eyes and he pulled back a bit in bewilderment. “Inuyasha. I love you.”

His lips pressed together tightly. He stared down at her, pupils dilated slightly in the dim light of his nest. She could see him studying her, thinking, calculating. It was that amazing brain of his at work. “Kagome…” He hesitated, lips moving slightly, practicing. She gasped when he caught up her cheeks and made sure her gaze was locked on his.

“Inu…”

“I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is actually the final "true chapter" of this story. It was really just a silly idea I had with no real intention of posting anywhere until Thunderpot on Tumblr convinced me I should post it for the Disney AU day during Inuvember. So I had minimal actual plan for it to even be this long! I think I'm going to do an epilogue, but not until after I've finished a few other WIPs that are demanding my attention. *coughallofthemcough*
> 
> Thank you so much for taking this ride with me and leaving such fantastic reviews! ❤❤❤


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue: Something isn't right in Inuyasha's forest. He and Kagome are interrupted from their daily lives in their tree home by a menacing presence that wants to destroy their peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Violence, Major Character injury  
> ..... Smoots. Very much smoots.
> 
> Join us for a Mini ~~Strip~~ Game with @Clearwillow (Brigid the Fae here on AO3) on Tumblr starting at 5pm EST on May 15th, 2020

The forest was restless. Inuyasha could hear it in the odd silences and bursts of sound from the birds. He could smell it in the faint scent of fear carried on the wind. It made him twitchy because he couldn’t seem to identify what was causing it.

The animals that lived in the vicinity of the Nest House, a name Kagome had given their arboreal home, had gotten used to them and only somewhat disturbed at their movements. When they went to the river, they were given a wide berth, like any other large predator, but nothing scattered like they might have when Kagome first arrived. She was learning to blend into all the workings of the forest more seamlessly. His mate didn’t need his help nearly as often as when they had first come to live in their home, though hunting was mostly left to him. Which Inuyasha minded not at all. It was a way in which he could continue to prove to Kagome that she had made the right choice to stay with him.

“Inuyasha!”

He looked up to see her leaning out over the flat ledge they had built which she called a balcony. “Hm?”

“Can you bring more reeds? I need to redo the mats in the sleeping pod.” He nodded, waving a hand so she knew he’d heard her. “Thank you!” He grinned to himself as he finished tying off the basketful of cleaned fish he’d been packing to lift up to the Nest House so some could be dried and some seasoned for cooking later. Cooking was still something they were working on since it was not very safe to have fire inside the nest pods.

Their life in the trees was a “learning process” as Kagome said. He was learning that it was tough to acclimate to living entirely in the tree, with another being, and not with his pack in the den. For her, everything about their life was new. She had lived in a village near a large university - a word he had little understanding of - and had only been on one similar expedition in the past but only for a few weeks. In short, Kagome was not used to living in nature. It was  _ his _ turn to be the teacher.

Inuyasha showed her how to hunt fish in the river, though he often did it since he was much faster at it than she was. She also preferred that he clean them, though she was the one to teach him how to do it properly, which he appreciated. It was nice to not have to pick scales out of his teeth the rest of the day.

Another strange silence in a less distant part of the forest perked his ears. Something had spooked the birds there. The pack knew that if they were to approach the Nest House they should make themselves known a ways off. Sango was particularly diligent about warning him she was coming because she didn’t feel like waiting around for him at the bottom of the tree when it was such a trek for her, particularly in her condition.

Despite her protests otherwise for several seasons, Sango had finally decided that Miroku was a worthy enough male for her to spend her life with and raise pups. He was a doting mate, almost to the point of suffocating, but Inuyasha knew that his best friend wouldn't trade away how well he cared and provided for her. Especially now that she was whelped with two pups. It was somewhat unusual for wild dog females to have a litter anymore, but Sango and Miroku were pleased.

He called for Kagome to start pulling the basket up, nodding as he heard the squeak of the pulley system she had made. It made trips up and down the tree much easier when they didn’t have to carry everything while climbing. Inuyasha often carried Kagome for convenience, but sometimes she insisted on doing it herself. “Need to keep my strength up!” she often told him, sweating and flexing her slim arms as she traversed the ladder he’d built into the side of the tree with her help. Inuyasha smirked and licked his lips at the thought of his mate’s arms and running his fingers up them to make her shiver.

That thought in mind, he made his way up the tree as the sun dipped below the horizon, a bushel of reeds in one arm. The full moon rising behind him escaped his notice, too focused on finding Kagome. His nose was pointed upward to catch her scent and locate her in the house, the slightly overpowering fragrance of the fish muddling his olfactory sense.

His back turned, he almost didn’t hear the near-silent puff of padded feet contacting the largest branch in their tree. Inuyasha froze, ears swiveling toward the sound before slowly turning his head to face it. A black panther. It’s golden green eyes glowed in the dimming forest light which had hidden it’s lithe form up until the last moment. Inuyasha fought the instinct to leap at it. Kagome was in the house somewhere and did not know of the danger…

“Inuyasha?”

The big cat’s eyes flipped to the sound of her voice, the tension of bunching muscles almost audible to Inuyasha’s sensitive ears. He had no time to react before the cat was prowling into the doorway to its left, dismissing him for the easier prey. Inuyasha dropped the reeds and dove for the doorway beside him, hoping to get to her first.

He dared not call her name for fear that she would respond and call the predator straight to her. His blood was burning in his veins, his senses all on alert as he stalked his mate to get her out of harm’s way. Kagome didn’t have his senses, his instincts, and it was going to cost her - cost him - her life if he didn’t get to her before that panther.

Inuyasha stalked silently but quickly, going from pod to pod as he sought her out. A clatter and a gasp made him freeze, then snarl, as he shot through the doorway of the sleeping pod. His mate was backed against the bedding with a partially destroyed reed mat in hand and a wooden bowl still spinning on the floor. Her dark eyes were fixed on the large black cat cornering her. Inuyasha was shocked still as he realized the form was morphing from the sleek panther he had spotted outside into a human one. “Youkai!” he seethed at the now tall and svelte male looming over his mate.

The golden green eyes had remained unchanged and they mocked him along with the slice of a smile on full lips. His hair was as dark and silken as his fur had been. “Oh, is this yours, currr?” he purred, long fingers catching a lock of Kagome’s hair and twisting it around until he had her caught. Kagome flinched, but didn’t move for fear of what he might do with a firm hold of her. “It’sss a pretty female,” he conceded. “Smellsss rrripe. And frrrree.” He made a point of sniffing her and licking his teeth.

“Let her go,” Inuyasha rumbled darkly, fangs biting into his lower lip. Kagome’s eyes flicked to him and he realized she couldn’t understand what they were saying. All the better. “This is my territory, my den, my mate. You trespass here.” A condescending smirk met his words. “Leave now and I won’t tear you apart,” Inuyasha spat.

“Oh ho! The pup has teeth?” The big cat chuckled, tugging on Kagome’s hair so that she was within the grasp of his large hand on her delicate neck. Inuyasha heard the whimper of fear she swallowed in an attempt to keep up a brave front. “What are you going to do if I take what you claim is yourss, Pup?” he taunted, a long claw appearing at his thumb and tracing Kagome’s throat. The rumble in Inuyasha’s chest grew at the threat to his mate.

“Kagome, don’t move.” She blinked, not daring to nod with the razor sharp point at her jugular. Inuyasha felt fire-like heat lick his spine, the phantom sensation of his hackles raising and his ears pointedly alert. The panther grinned, clearly feeling that this hanyou was not a threat.

Until he noted the change in Inuyasha’s appearance and his energy. Purple markings flashed into existence on his cheeks, his wrists, hips just above the covering he wore… His fangs lengthened in his mouth and his eyes went from golden to a startling turquoise surrounded by red for only a moment. “You would lose yourssself to avenge this little strrrip of flesh?” he hissed, a glint entering his cold eyes. His muscles bunched as he prepared himself for the attack he assumed was coming. Except he misinterpreted where the attack would come from. A screech reeled his sensitive hearing just as a small fist collided with the side of his head. It wasn’t enough to damage, but it did send him reeling for a long enough moment for the little female to push away from him and the larger male to make his move.

Kagome screamed her mate’s name as he shot across the small space, fangs bared and fire in his eyes. She watched in horror when his wiry arms impacted the larger, more corded, body of the panther which shifted before her eyes. The side wall of the pod gave way and they both disappeared from view. The snarling scream of the panther echoed off the trees as they fell, Inuyasha’s growled shout barely audible. A crack of wood breaking and creaking as it let loose followed by a pained yelp froze her heart. “No!” Kagome cried, collapsing to the edge of the broken pod, looking for Inuyasha while trying not to fall out herself. She couldn’t see them in the dark, the light of the full moon not enough to cut through the dense foliage.

Without another thought, she dove for the small lantern they kept for emergencies, lighting it with fumbling fingers, singeing her thumb in the process of making sure she didn’t burn down their home. Her feet, much tougher than when she’d first arrived, took her over the reed mats, through the pods to the front balcony of the Nest House. She looked to the ladder built into the bark of the tree.  _ Not fast enough!  _ She turned. The pulleys she and Inuyasha had built were sturdy… But enough to hold her weight? “No time!” she gasped, diving for the basket on one end, finding it still full of the rocks they used to counterbalance and the other basket half full of fish which she dumped out. She pushed the basket of rocks off the ledge hardly a moment before she stepped into the empty one, one hand gripping the rope in fear while the other clung to the lantern. She couldn’t help the scream that was torn from her throat, wind stealing it away as she fell.

A hard jerk of the rope nearly unseated her from her perch in the basket, but she held on even as it forced her into a spin. Then, blessedly, her descent slowed some and she was able to make a less bone-smashing crash landing, her ankle smarting from the impact. She stumbled in the direction of where she calculated they must have fallen, the lantern swinging wildly as she ran.

“Inuyasha! Inuyasha, where are you?” Another terrifying scream of a big cat pulled her in another direction, the strain on her ankle almost taking her down. Kagome cried out, but kept running. “Inuyasha!”

“Mate,” came a low growl, but not in spoken tongue. It was a deeply canine sound that she knew well. Kagome lifted the lantern higher, trying to spot him in the dark. Golden eyes peered out from under a broken branch… only to be followed by silken black fur and a twitching tail. Kagome froze in her tracks, taking a step back. A yelp escaped when her bad ankle folded under her, taking her down and making her lose purchase of her light. The little lantern, hardly solid enough for a sharp breeze, cracked against the hard dirt, the hurricane glass shattering. The candle rolled from inside, merrily lighting its tiny little circle of grass.

The panther’s purr sounded like laughter as he approached her. Kagome scuttled backwards on her backside, trying to get away from the fangs dripping with saliva, obviously looking forward to sinking into her. Fear lodged in her throat, silencing any call for help. She was going to die. The glittering golden green eyes of the big cat in front of her promised that. He slunk closer, long limbs stretching across the open ground between them. Kagome closed her eyes and raised her hand in a futile attempt to keep him at bay... only to find a large dry branch in it. Her panicked eyes caught the candlelight beside her, the happy little flame dancing in the breeze. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his legs bunch, lowering his center of gravity as he prepared to spring on her.

Hoping against hope that it would catch fast enough, Kagome rolled toward the candle and pressed her branch to the heat. The end was brittle, like kindling, and lit like a match. Kagome let out a guttural yell as she swung her fledgling torch toward the panther now midleap. He let out a pained yowl as he landed, backing away immediately. The smell of burnt fur and skin brought bile up in her throat, but Kagome choked it back and scrambled further away.

“Mate,” somewhere between the growl that hit her gut and a spoken word. Kagome looked to her right, finding her mate stretched his full length trying to reach her, a large fallen tree limb pinning his lower half. He was bruised, bloodied, and the usual glowing light of his golden eyes was dimmed.

“Inuyasha,” she whimpered, crawling toward him while holding up her torch. She needed it as much for light as for defense. “Inuyasha, can you move?” He wiggled his fingers but shook his head.  _ Lower spinal paralysis… _ Kagome bit back a sob and reached out, wanting to brush the fringe of hair from his eyes. A growl behind her grabbed her attention and she pointed her torch at the lurking panther. “Stay back! I’ll… I’ll set you on fire!” she rasped, her voice hoarse from screaming.

The panther seemed to contemplate her for a moment, sitting on his haunches and blinking at her in the moonlight. He used a paw to lick and clean the burned and crumbling fur from near his temple and ear, then a very catlike yawn stretched his face as he shifted into his human form. He spoke to her, but she could understand none of it. He spoke no human tongue and it was not similar enough to Inuyasha’s language for her to gather any meaning from the sounds he strung together. But there was no need for words. His meaning was clear.

His skin, now a pale tan in the light from the moon, rippled over muscles built for speed and stealth. Despite a human form, she could very much still see the panther in him. There was cruel curl to his lips as he stared her down, fingers flexing and feet making no sound while he moved to intercept her. Kagome waved her torch a bit, making the flame sway and spit. He hesitated at that, but only for a moment. “K-Kagome… Run.”

“I can’t. My ankle… Inuyasha…” she gasped out.

A more human-like shout left the panther-youkai as he leapt onto her, knocking the torch from her hand and pinning her to the hard packed earth. Kagome struggled to roll him off, to knee him in his very open and vulnerable places. He was too strong and too flexible to be caught off guard. He purred something she couldn’t understand, licking the side of her face while his eyes met Inuyasha’s over her head. Kagome screamed in helpless rage.

A scream that was echoed in the one the hanyou let out as he braced himself up on his forearms, desperately trying to pull himself from under the fallen tree branch. A sinister chuckle left the cat-turned-man above her. He said something to Inuyasha, obviously taunting him for his inability to do anything to save her. His hips ground down into her pelvis to show his dominance, that he had won.

Kagome felt tingling along her spine, which she had initially dismissed as pain with the much heavier panther crushing her to the ground. It flared stronger, turning into an itch and then almost a burning sensation. A loud roar distracted her from the feeling. Inuyasha was glowing in the moonlight, his blood and sweat slicked skin reflecting its rays. He stood at his full height, the tree limb rocking back into place where he had lain under it. While staring in awe of him, the feeling had become a conflagration along all her nerves. “Stay away from my mate!” he howled. As he crouched, Kagome could hear the vertebrae in his back popping back into alignment, his spine healing with the increase in his energy.

Kagome didn’t see him move, but he was gone. A zephyr blew past her face, the panther’s weight suddenly gone from her chest. His presence was not entirely gone though, as his claws had left raw open marks on her wrists. Kagome sat up to seek out Inuyasha, desperate to make sure he was alright. She could barely make out two figures as they collided with another large tree, bark splintering off at the impact. Snarling, spitting and grunts of pain met her ears, but she could hardly keep track of them, they were moving so quickly in a bid to get the upper hand.

Inuyasha’s mind was cold while the rest of him felt like it was engulfed in flames. He felt no pain, only the need to destroy that which had threatened his mate, had dared  _ touch _ his mate. The smell of her blood under the panther’s claws boiled his gut, made him want to rip those hands from his body and toss them to the scavengers. Maybe he would…

“You are a mindless beasst! What will stop you from rrrrripping that female to shrrreds if I…” Inuyasha swung his fist, knocking the words from his smug mouth and sending him reeling. It was not a tactic that an animal would use. It was a human one. Green-tinted eyes stared at him, wide in their disbelief. “What…”

“I am both beast and man, and I am neither. You have invaded my territory, injured and terrified my mate. You will run now and never return, or I will tear you into pieces so small only the beetles will carry you away.” The big cat’s eyes flashed defiance at his cool statement. To Inuyasha, it was no bluff, he fully intended to turn this interloper to dust if that’s what it took to keep him from ever laying an eye on Kagome, let alone his hands.

“Confident, aren’t you,” his enemy spat. Which was far more bark than bite as he held one arm, shattered uselessly at his side, in place with his hand. His temple and left ear where Kagome had burned him glared red in the light, the skin puckered and blistering. There were slashes across his chest and abdomen which trickled blood but were sealing. Inuyasha knew that he only kept his current form for the increased ability to heal and the use of his youkai energy. In his panther form, he would be faster, more agile, and likely stronger. But he would wound more easily and would be unable to carry on the fight at all with a broken limb.

“It is you that is over-confident.” Inuyasha crouched with his claws outspread, relishing the way the panther flinched in fear despite himself. “Run,” he snarled. Hesitating only a moment, the big cat turned and took off in a stilted sprint. Inuyasha’s felt a feral grin split his lips and he prepared his muscles to leap.

“Inuyasha!” He paused. “Inuyasha, please…”

The sound of his mate’s cry brought his attention around, finding her still sitting where he’d left her, unable to stand to come to him.  _ Blood _ . He growled low, stalking over to her and snatching her hand to look more closely at her wrists. She let out a whimper of pain at his grip and he gentled, not wanting to add to her discomfort. “K’gome,” he murmured. A panther’s screaming call echoed in the forest and his head snapped up, instantly on alert again.

“Inuyasha, you’re holding too tight,” Kagome reminded him, desperately trying not to further rile his instincts. His eyes flipped to where his large hand circled her delicate wrist and he dropped it in horror. “I’m alright. We just…”

A howl split the air and Inuyasha’s attention was again fractured. “Sesshoumaru,” he mumbled. “He found him.” Kagome blinked in response, not fully understanding him around the too-large fangs in his mouth and his low growling tone. “Pack leader.” That rumble she understood. “Where?” he asked her, wanting to know which direction to take her now that the threat was gone.

“The river, to wash… Inuyasha?” Finally he met her gaze fully and she gasped. Golden irises were completely replaced by turquoise, red sclera encircling the violently bright color. “In-Inuyasha?” she breathed, carefully reaching toward his face to touch the purple slashes on his cheekbones. He maintained eye contact unflinchingly, seemingly cold eyes searching hers in return.

“Don’t want to hurt you,” he murmured, the back of his knuckles brushing her chin. “Almost lost you.”

“I’m alright, Inuyasha. I promise.” He grunted, looking down at her clearly swollen ankle. “I did that, not him.” A sigh left his lips in a puff, stirring the hair on her forehead. He took a moment to further calm himself before he reached to lift her into his arms. “Your back!”

“Better. I’m… alright,” he parroted her. “The river.”

His mate in his arms, he strode toward their tree, then down the embankment below it to the river’s edge. The water was warm this time of year. The sun baking it and the earth all day left the water just cool enough to be refreshing in the heat and warm enough not to chill in the cooling night. Inuyasha walked in until he was waist deep, then slowly let Kagome down so that she too stood in the water. Or partially stood. She couldn’t put weight on her injured ankle, wincing when she did so by accident. “What happened?” he asked her, using his hand to cup water and scrub her cheek clean. He wanted no trace of that beast’s filth left on her.

Kagome gently fought off his hand while trying to explain, the outside edge of his palm gentle but impeding her speech. “I used the.. Hey. Stop… The rope and baskets… Inuyasha, quit. And jumped…”

“You did what?!” he bit out, gold flashing in his irises more prominently, pushing back the turquoise. Kagome gave him a slightly nervous smile. “You dropped yourself off the balcony with just the rope and baskets?” Were his voice any higher, he would have sounded borderline hysterical. He had noted she smelled vaguely of fish earlier, but there were far more important things to worry about at the time. “It could have snapped off like that time…”

“But it didn’t,” she interjected, pressing her fingers to his lips to silence him.

Inuyasha glowered at her until his nose twitched and drew his eyes to the claw marks on her wrists. “He… That…” He wanted big angry words for what he felt, seeing the damage done to her perfect skin, but he didn’t know them. Kagome didn’t use “bad” words very often and she scolded him when he used the few he had picked up. “That shit hurt you.” Her eyes filled slightly with tears. Inuyasha tsked, leaning down to lick the wounds clean and seal them. He would repeat it daily, if necessary, to keep her from scarring. She had shown him a scar she had on her hip from when she fell out of a tree as a little girl and he never wanted to be the reason her beautiful skin was marred.

Except to mark her as his Mate. He hadn’t done so yet, terrified of hurting her. Within the pack, it was done the first time a pair mated. In their case, he had been so worried about hurting her during their coupling - as well as overwhelmed by the sensations - that he’d forgotten about laying the physical claim. Probably part of why that panther had thought he could take her.

He snarled at the thought of anyone else touching his mate. “Mine,” he rumbled, licking and kissing up the length of her arm to her shoulder and neck. Kagome let out a soft gasp, her strength faltering in her good leg when he gently nipped just under her ear. A weak point he favored. He didn’t hesitate to lift her thighs in his hands, wading to the cliff wall that was normally shaded by their tree during the day. The large stones that jutted out into the river there were smooth from years of slowly rushing water eroding them. Or so Kagome had told him. They made a perfect perch to place his mate and continue to taste her while her hands gripped his shoulders, his nape, to keep him close. “K’gome. Mine,” he mumbled against her ear. She nodded. “Need to mark you,” he explained while nibbling her earlobe, tongue soothing over the sting from his fangs.

His hands shifted her wrap dress away from her body, an adaptation she had made from her own clothes to meet her needs while acclimating to the weather. It also made it far easier for him to get to bare skin. Inuyasha’s fingertips found her waist first, sliding up the slim curve toward her ribs. Her head tipped back to allow his mouth to roam her neck, to nip her chin. The light of the full moon illuminated her skin and continually drew him to the faint shadow of her collar bone. “Inuyasha, I…”

“Hm. Yes.” He sliced away the tiny underthing she often insisted on wearing over her center, letting the river take it downstream. “You want me here,” he rasped, a knuckle gently parting her folds to test her. He slipped loose the tie on his own pants.

The tingling, burning sensation was quickly returning and Kagome couldn’t entirely attribute it to Inuyasha’s aptitude for making her feel like she was on fire. She peeled her eyes open and was somehow unsurprised to see the turquoise had returned to his irises and his cheek markings were almost luminescent in the moonlight. “Inuyasha…” He grinned, yanking her to the edge of the rock and sliding into her in one clean thrust. “Oh gods,” she hissed, clinging to him as he started moving within her. His hips were harsh as he punctuated each roll of his pelvis into her with flexing of his fingers against her bare bottom, ensuring she couldn’t float away from him. She could just barely feel the prick of his claws but, despite his intensity, he was still careful to keep from hurting her.

“Mine,” he hummed into her neck, tilting her back until he could encircle the pointed tip of her breast with his lips. She gasped as his tongue lashed across it and whimpered when he suckled just hard enough to bring more into his mouth. “Mate.” It was the gut deep growl of his own tongue this time, a primal labeling of what was his. But also what made him  _ hers _ . “Yours,” he crooned, sighing when her fingers laced in the hair at the base of his skull. 

His youkai, no matter how far gone, knew that this female had chosen  _ him _ . Kagome could have left the forest entirely. Gone back to that world he didn’t understand, where things were easier for her and she would have been safe! She could have found a male that was like her, knew things like she did and spoke as she did. Instead she had given all of that up to be his mate. What mattered most to her was that they were...

“Together,” he growled softly, carefully scraping his teeth against her skin as he continued to drive himself into her depths. She tugged on his hair to put enough space between them so she could take his lips with her own. A sharp rise in her scent reminded him that kissing always increased her desire. Her lips parted slightly, gracing him with her unique taste. His tongue swept her lower lip, letting her suck it into her mouth for a moment before he pulled back enough to nip her.

“Inuyasha,” she breathed, her usually dark eyes reflecting lighter tones than he was used to seeing. "I love you," she sobbed, arching her back and flexing her backside in his hands as she strove to roll her hips to meet his. He rumbled his approval while his fangs returned to her collarbone, now perfectly outlined by the moonlight.

"Mate," he purred. She gasped out his name when he delivered a particularly intense thrust and lightly nipped her throat at the same time. "Close?" She nodded. He smirked.

Inuyasha pulled her so she was suspended in his hands, the buoyancy of the water helping, but such that she had to lean on her elbows or risk going under water. Which was only half her risk for drowning when her mate was suddenly pounding into her without restraint. "Oh gods," Kagome cried out, her voice echoing off the cliff behind them with her head thrown back. "Inuyasha, oh…" He was growling deep in his chest as he made sure she felt every inch of his cock, every movement of his body against hers. Kagome couldn't muffle her scream when he sent her flying, thighs tight around his waist as she was taken even higher by the feeling of his fangs sinking into the flesh just above her collarbone. Her arms snapped to his shoulders as she clung entirely to him, no support from the rock at all.

Inuyasha felt his energy rise along with the buzzing sensation he always associated with his oncoming orgasm. He'd never experienced his youkai side so strongly before and certainly not in the middle of being intimate with Kagome. The human part of him, deeply buried at the moment, feared what might happen, while the youkai promised only good things.  **_Protect Mate. Keep Mate_ ** , was his overwhelming thought. He didn't fully understand, but he was wooed by its assurances that he needed to let it out while his fangs and his cock were deeply penetrating her. So he did.

There was an intense flare of heat and light behind his eyes as he felt his youkai take complete control. It took only a few more hard thrusts into Kagome's tight, spasming pussy to fling him over the edge of his control. Inuyasha's roar was muted by her flesh in his mouth, her heat tighter around him than he had ever felt. She gripped him fiercely to her chest and let out a keening cry in his ear.

Which turned to soft whimpers of pleasure when she felt the increased thickness at the base of his cock as he pulled her closer so he could change their positions. Inuyasha settled onto the stone himself with Kagome astride, slowly rolling her hips over him, the ridge of his knot hitting her differently at this angle. While it had partially appeared at other times since they started mating, it had never been fully present as it was now. Part of Inuyasha knew that the full moon and his youkai coming out must have something to do with it, but Kagome gasping out his name completely distracted him from any deeper thought.

His youkai instincts purred at his mate taking her pleasure without restraint, head thrown back as she moved to bring them both closer to fulfillment. His hand went to her spine, pressing her chest close enough that he could take her nipple in his mouth, the cloth of her dress an added layer of friction between his tongue and her skin. Kagome whimpered, begging him for “more, harder...” He was more than happy to oblige. His tongue roughly traced the hard tip of her breast through the fabric, a grin lifting his lips when her hands threaded into his hair to hold him there.

“Inuyasha!” she murmured, lost in the hum of pleasure crawling up and down her spine. Her body was strung tight, his mouth and tongue plucking her like a bowstring. “Please?”

Her tone told him what he obviously needed to hear, bracing himself with one hand to lift his hips to meet her rolling movements while the other hand held her against his mouth. Were it not for the cloth between them, Kagome almost feared he would bruise her, the ferocity in his suckling and tongue lashing bordering on pain. Kagome felt like she was collapsing in on herself as her mouth opened in a soundless cry. Inuyasha growled at the tightening of her heat around the base of his thickened shaft, harder now than even moments before. Kagome swallowed a sharp breath when she felt the sudden flush of warmth from his release, followed quickly by his teeth in her collar once more. In all the ways he could, Inuyasha held her close as they rode out the final pulses of heat and overstimulated nerves.

"Inuyasha," she sighed. His body still hadn't quite returned to normal, so she was stuck in place until he relaxed. His tongue swirled over the bite, soothing the sting. Kagome felt the vibration of his pleased rumbling in his chest, a smile gracing her lips. "That was…"

"Mate," he growled. Kagome looked down into turquoise irises and blinked. He wasn't changing back. "No fear," came a whine, his ears drooping.

"I'm not afraid, Inuyasha, just worried." He looked up at the moon, drawing her attention there as well. Kagome stared for a moment before she was able to put the pieces together. "The full moon. With everything else tonight…" Inuyasha nodded.

Kagome shifted and he whimpered. He was still hard, and still sensitive, their bodies still locked together. "More," he managed to beg her in words. Sensing her discomfort in their current position, Inuyasha again flipped them so she was seated on the rock. He was gentle at first, slow and careful. Held too tightly, he couldn’t get the friction he was used to, but the pulsing squeezes of her muscles around him sent spikes of lightning heat down his spine. “K’gome,” he murmured, mouth returning to her throat to gently place open kisses there. His fangs lightly scraping her skin sent a shiver through her which caused her to tighten around him. “Yes,” he hissed against her chin, tongue smoothing across the reddened marks from his nipping teeth.

“Inuyasha, I don’t know if I… ah… I can’t…”

Unable to verbalize that he understood, the youkai hummed before taking her lips in a firm kiss, distracting her from her anxiety. Kagome sighed through her nose when he further slowed his movements against her, a thrumming heat building in her lower belly instead of the usual desperate flames. This was soft, sensual… different from their earlier intimacy and the opposite of what she would have expected from her mate in the throes of his youkai. She found her hips undulating under the water to encourage more movement, any fear that she would not be able to join him a third time disappearing when his fingers gripped her backside, not to lift her, but to bury himself as deeply as their bodies allowed. His hold was firm, almost painful, but it sent a shock of pleasure straight to where his knot pressed against her nerves. Kagome gasped, thighs parting to let him rotate his hips in a circle that accentuated the stretch of her center around his swollen cock. “Mate,” rolled deep in his chest, the sound feral and primal, and it set her alight.

Kagome gasped, whimpered, cried out his name as she writhed against him. Her pussy, already tight around him, grasped and spasmed around him until he could hold back no longer. Inuyasha howled as his mate’s release wrung his from him, liquid heat pouring forth from the tip into the waiting recesses of her depths. He felt each twitch, each pulse of his seed flowing into her. She cried out in response, fingernails digging into his shoulder blades as she clung to him. The intensity of it knocked the strength from his body, his arms collapsing until he almost sent Kagome under the water. He was just barely able to catch himself on his elbows, gasping for breath into her hair. Inuyasha felt the buzzing feeling from before slowly drain out of his system, his senses dulling slightly to a more normal level. He whimpered slightly at how weak his legs felt.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome squeaked out. He struggled to pull himself back , realizing she couldn’t breathe. “There you are,” she sighed with a smile on her lips. Her fingertips traced his eyebrow, then a furrow appeared in her brow as she touched his cheek. “Hm. Your eyes are back to normal but…” Looking down into the water, he was able to make out just enough of his reflection in the moonlit water to see that striped markings lined his cheekbones. He glanced down, finding them at his wrists and hips as well. He had a sneaking suspicion that they would be visible at his ankles too.

Before he could deal with the implications of that, he needed to unseat himself from his mate and get them both back to the safety of their den somehow. The first was more difficult than he anticipated, weakness and sensitivity forcing a slow separation that sent zips of sensation across both their nerves. Kagome's soft groans and whimpers might have had him hard all over again if he weren't so spent. "Did I hurt you?" he murmured, sniffing for any sign of blood. His mark had set, his scent more intricately intertwined with hers, but he smelled nothing else of note. Until he was able to fully unsheathe his cock from her heat, Kagome whimpering at the change in temperature. The strong scent of his seed mixed with her juices overpowered his nose for a moment and he gulped. Despite other lengthy mating sessions, he had never experienced anything like that.

"Inuyasha, are you alright?"

"Yes. I… are you sure you're not hurt?"

Kagome smiled, trying to comfort him as she wrapped her soaking wet dress back around herself. "Just the ankle." Right. Her ankle that he would be thoroughly scolding her about later. Once they were home. "We'll have to sleep in the main pod tonight," she mentioned with a wince as she slid off the stone and tried to balance on her good leg. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her trying to pretend she wasn't as injured as he knew she was while he pulled his pants back up and tied them off. With a deep breath to steady himself, the hanyou scooped his mate off of her feet and into his arms. She squealed, arms flying around his shoulders to stabilize herself.

"Sleeping one is broken?"

"Very."

"Hm." Inuyasha grunted as he stepped out of the river and tried not to let her see that he was struggling. He was determined and determination had gotten him a very long way so far. Kagome didn’t feel like being a “princess” as she called it, and fought to be put down. “Kagome…”

“No. It’s not broken, I just need to be careful. And don’t think I can’t feel you wobbling under my weight.” He had learned early on that making any sort of comment about her weight, be it how light she was or otherwise, was not in his best interest. Inuyasha kept his mouth shut. “Your… your back  _ was _ broken earlier. I could tell.” He winced at the tears that filled her eyes. Large hands on her shoulders, he supported her while making sure he had her full attention.

“I am better.”

“You’re still getting your strength back,” she said with faint exasperation. “You don’t need to carry me. Just… let me lean on you a little, alright?” It was his turn to be exasperated, but he nodded anyway, shifting his arm under hers to help keep her weight off the ankle and keep them both upright.

The ladder was a hell of a challenge for both of them. Inuyasha almost offered to lift her in the basket, but feared the line breaking this time. It took them far longer than it should and they were both shaking and sweating by the time they reached the balcony. They both lay on the smooth and cool wood, the moonlight shining down on them through the leaves. Kagome’s breathing was slowing, her heartbeat softening from it’s thudding in response to the extra effort. Inuyasha stared up at the branches that partially hid the moon from sight. The wind was picking up and it brought the scent of rain with it. 

It took them another half an hour before they were able to gather the energy to move inside and put together makeshift sleeping arrangements. Inuyasha vowed he would repair the sleeping pod… tomorrow. Right now, the only thing he wanted was to curl himself around his mate and breathe in her scent as they slept safely in the home they had built with their own hands. Feeling her soft weight against his chest where she had nestled herself as soon as he lay down slowed his heart, his breathing. Kagome settled him in a way that he had never experienced, had never thought he had need of before he met her. She was a soothing presence he hadn’t felt since his parents died, and so much more.

The weight of their mating bond began to hit him. He had protected her tonight. But only just. He had never considered how dangerous the forest was because he had confidence that he could handle anything that came his way. Anything after his own life… not after hers. Kagome's life was so much more precious to him than his own, and the fear that he could have lost her still sat heavily in his gut. Inuyasha never wanted to fear for her life like that again. He also knew that the truth of this world he had always known as home was that the strongest and smartest survived.

"Kagome, should… should we go to your home?" he whispered into the night.

"No," she responded simply, already half asleep. "How would we?"

"I could build a boat."

She giggled lightly. "I know you could, Love. Save that building genius for our sleeping pod." He grumbled, but smiled at her compliment. She was right. He needed to build a stronger wall to keep something similar from happening again. And the top of the house needed to be built up to keep out the rain when it began. He expected it before the next full moon, if not sooner.

“Alright,” he murmured as he gathered her just a bit closer. Kagome fell asleep on him with his fingers running through her long hair. Inuyasha occasionally lowered his nose to it so he could be surrounded by her warmth and scent. The lingering energy from facing their ordeal was fading and Inuyasha finally felt the pull of sleep. Her scent filled his nose as he breathed deeply, drifting off with the fragrance of rain and growth guiding his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who joined me on this journey into the Tarzan universe with our loves, Inuyasha and Kagome. This hairbrained idea got traction for Inuvember last fall and I'm glad I was able to share it with you and people seemed to enjoy it.
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr @Dangerouspompadour to keep up with my stories, teasers and snippets. I may have an alternate ending ~~or two~~ for this story that I will only share there!


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